The Princess and the Hunter
by susan friedman
Summary: What happens when the evil stepmother, Greta Gothel hires three hunters to rid the world of her stepdaughter so that she remains the most beautiful woman in all the land. Based on the tale of Snow White told Tangled style. Chapter 24 now up
1. Chapter 1

The Princess and the Hunter

A Tangled Story based on Snow White

Prologue

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful young woman by the name of Greta Gothel. She was a Lady by birth, but she was also known as Mother because she helped raise some of the local children in town. Every eligible young bachelor wanted to marry her, but she only had eyes for one man and that was King Roland.

Losing his wife, Queen Emily, in childbirth, he had a young daughter to raise, the Princess Rapunzel. As the ever overprotective father, Roland placed her in the nursery which was located in the highest room in the castle where no one could disturb her. The excuse that Roland gave was completely different and possibly a true one; he couldn't raise her on her own, not at this young age. The tower just happened to be where the nursery was.

Rapunzel wasn't alone however, the princess had constant care, nurses and nannies fawned over each day, making sure she lacked for nothing. Two wolves guarded the tower entrance and barked when anyone got too close. Roland even set up a will leaving everything he had to his loving daughter.

Seeing that Gothel's reputation with raising children, Roland hired her to help raise Rapunzel, but soon Gothel wormed her way into the King's heart and they married.

And that's when Roland first learned of Gothel's true nature.

She was a vain spoiled woman who wanted nothing except to remain young and beautiful. Greta had a special flower, one she kept separate from everyone else. Every night, while the entire castle slept, she entered into her sunroom and pulled out the flower from its hiding place. She bent closer to the flower and began to sing.

Golden Flower in this hour

Give to me your all

Golden Flower, share your power

Never ever fall

Some magic dust exited the flower and she fanned that dust up to her face. She could feel everything changing, right down to her fingertips and toes. She lost the wrinkles and sallow skin, everything tightened at her touch. To confirm this change, she pulled out a hand mirror to check.

Mirror, mirror in my hand

Show me is the fairest in the land

And she would look into it and see herself.

All was content and Gothel was happy.

Some time had passed and now Rapunzel was a beautiful young lady of sixteen. Her father had grown older, but her stepmother hadn't aged at all. Wondering why this was, the King became suspicious. He began to follow his wife around just to see what she was up to. One night, Roland couldn't sleep. He saw a light on in the sunroom and went to investigate. Sure enough, his caught her working her magic. Shocked and horrified, he bolted from the room and ran to the stables and, in an effort to calm down, rode until he could ride no more. A sudden rainstorm only compounded to his troubles and he was burning up with fever upon his return. He died of pneumonia shortly after, leaving her alone with his daughter. Finding out that everything in the will belonged to Rapunzel, Gothel went on a rampage. Out of revenge and spite, she would continue to keep Rapunzel locked up in the tower for another four years, away from court and away from her. She fired all the nannies and nurses, letting Rapunzel die on her own. This way, Greta would finally be rid of her and everything that reminded the Queen of her.

Besides the mirror had shown her another face when she asked who was the fairest in all the land. For the last eight years, it had been Rapunzel, who, the mirror claimed, was fairest all along.

But something or someone helped her because Rapunzel continued to thrive and grow.

She had to do something, but what? She had to get rid of her somehow, but how?

She was running out of time and ideas until she learned of 3 hunters she could hire. 3 great hunters who would be able to do her bidding and at any price she asked.

And so, she trudged through the deep freshly fallen snow to their tiny cabin in the woods. They mustn't not know who she is, she must take steps to hide her title. These 3 hunters were worth the trip, she decided. Their reputation was known far and wide. These 3 were the best in all of Corona and she was going to take advantage. They listened intently and were only too eager to do her bidding.

Not to mention she had promised to pay them well, more than what they asked of her.

Three nights later, she was back with the money and to confirm that they had followed her instructions to the letter. She wanted no slip ups, no confusion, no talking. Do the job and do it right. There would be more in it for the the three of them if they did it quickly. She didn't need proof, she told them, she would know right away.

"You sure you know what to do?"

The beautiful woman shook off her snowy hood. Her dark middle length curls exploded from it.

The 3 of them moved in closer, although the handsome one held the other two back. "We know exactly what to do and how to do it. It won't be that hard if you say this woman is as naïve as you say she is."

Gothel smiled and nodded her head. All was well.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Princess Rapunzel stared through the tiny slits that served as her window. It was a beautiful day and she longed to be outside again. It was warm and most of the snow was melting. The afternoon just couldn't come fast enough. She hurried into her riding clothes. Since she was 10 years old, she had been permitted to go outside for four days a month. Now that she was 18, she was allowed 7 days, but they could never be consecutive. Only one day at time, her stepmother said, and she had to use them wisely.

The rest of the time, she cooked, cleaned and helped out her stepmother as best she could, not that the woman needed helping. Well, those were her stepmother's words, not hers. Rapunzel often felt as if she were her servant. And this age thing confused her just as it did her father, but she backed off fearing that she would end up as her father did.

Rapunzel still had her suspicions about the way her father went. She loved her father very much and

So for the first time this month, Rapunzel was going to spend her day riding. Suede would take her anywhere she wanted to go, he was a trusty and loyal steed and would gladly take her anywhere.

Somehow, she could feel her stepmother's eyes watching her from her window of her sunroom, where she sat day after day doing who knew what. Rapunzel was never allowed in there, no one was. It was fiercely guarded so that no one would make the same mistake as her father had.

Rapunzel shook of the feeling as she rode. The snowfall two days ago had not been deep, but just enough to cause problems. She wasn't allowed outside the castle gates, but today she wasn't going to follow rules. Today she would do what she wanted, what no one else expected her to do.

Except now she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Had she ever considered that this might be what her stepmother wanted her to do?

No, she shook her head. What could have put a silly notion like that into her head?

She was outside the castle gates before she realized where she was. She was about to turn around and head back when she was knocked off her saddle by a fast moving white stallion.

"Are you alright?" the tall man dismounted and ran over to where she lay on the ground. He extended a hand to help her up, but she ignored it, deciding to stand on her own.

Rapunzel's eyes were blazing with fire. "What the heck made you pull that? Don't you ever watch where you're going?"

The handsome young man smiled and shook his head. "Not when I see a pretty little lady like you. Maximus is one smart horse. He also has great taste."

The white horse whinnied as if he understood exactly what his master was talking about.

Rapunzel smiled and walked closer toward him. She rubbed behind his ears. "Well, he does seem as if he listening to every word we're saying. It's as if he knows we're talking about him."

The young man nodded. "Good observation, my lovely lady. You seem to know horses well."

Rapunzel laughed. "I've been riding since I was 10 years old. My father taught me to ride, although I haven't gotten out as much as I'd like."

"Your father must be proud of you. You are an excellent rider, um..."

"Rapunzel," she said quietly. "And my father died of pneumonia right after I turned 12, but yes he was proud of me."

She stared back at him. "And you are?"

The young man bowed. "Eugene Fitzherbert at your service, my dear Rapunzel. Would you mind a little company?"

And so the two of them spent the warm winter's day together, smiling, laughing and joking as if it were summertime. They even raced together for a time, with Suede coming in first, which Rapunzel could have sworn that he lost. But it didn't matter; she was having a great time. She hadn't had so much fun in her entire life.

With reluctance, she allowed herself to be escorted to the castle gates, but she would go no further.

"If you allow me, I could take you home," Eugene said. "I would love to see you again, if you'll let me."

Rapunzel smiled and shook her head. "I'm very busy so I get a limited amount of time in the outside world."

Eugene frowned. "What does that mean?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "I'm a servant here at the castle. I'm afraid it would be unfair to the both of us if I were to make a commitment."

Eugene shrugged. "Well, maybe we can run into one another again."

Rapunzel smiled. "Maybe, Eugene, we'll see." It was starting to get dark, she wasn't supposed to be allowed out the entire day, but no one came after her about it, and she was surprised.

"Goodnight," she said. "I'll see you when I see you."

She walked Suede into the castle gates as Eugene watched her disappear inside. Everything was going according to plan. The Princess was already interested, he could feel it. It wouldn't be long before she was completely his.

Eugene Fitzherbert would bide his time. All his hard work was falling into place.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Eugene couldn't stop thinking about the Princess. Her wide green eyes, her beautiful long dark hair and her cute button nose with the freckles across the bridge. Especially those freckles!

What was wrong with him? Where was the great Eugene Fitzherbert aka Flynn Rider, the bandit/hunter killer for hire, the con man who would do anything for money?

Well, he really wasn't the killer, he was the front man, sort of like the Stabbington boys agent. They were the real killers; Rider accepted the jobs. He was the handsome one, the one who woo the victims until they were completely head over heels for him. Then, when they least expected it, he would lead them right to the twins. He was the brains, they were the brawn. They were known far and wide as the ones to hire when their particular line of work was needed and lately; it was becoming the popular thing to do. They received generous amounts for their participation as was this latest hire. This time it was a really weird request; an evil stepmother out to kill her own stepdaughter because some talking mirror told her that she wasn't the fairest women hanging around Corona anymore.

But Queen Greta was the biggest shot in the entire kingdom and she paid really well. So what if she was known as the nastiest, most evil woman in the land? She had put up the largest amount of money ever with a promise of plenty more where that came from, especially if they did what they were told. They needed no proof this time, which was different than any other hiring request, just to prove that Rider and the boys had done their job. Somehow she'd know, Gothel had said, there was no need to tell her.

Or prove it to her.

He was on his way to see her now; this would be the fourth time they were meeting. The plan was to get Rapunzel so off balance that she couldn't see straight, that she thought of nothing but him. Gothel set the time, she wanted it done as quickly as possible, but Rider had explained it couldn't happen that way. He would need two weeks at the most, if she could put up with it, she'd get her wish.

So far, though it seemed that it was the other way around. For the first time since he began this journey, Rider, the great con man and well known thief was off his game. He wasn't supposed to fall for the victim, but she was different, different from anyone he'd ever met. She seemed to care about him, seemed to make him feel different and special. No other woman ever cared about him the way she did.

He couldn't stop thinking about the words she'd said to him, how they seemed to fit together so well.

"_So you're Flynn Rider?"_

_Eugene nodded. "Yes, I'm that guy in all those posters, the thief you've been told to stay away from? The con man who…"_

_Rapunzel shook her head. "Who is this Flynn Rider anyway?"_

"_You've never heard of the Tales of Flynnagan Rider?" he asked her._

_Rapunzel shook her head. "I've been stuck up in a tower since I was a baby, Eugene, I don't know a thing except what I've been taught. Book knowledge is all I have."_

"_Well if that's all you have, then you should have been taught about this guy,"_

_Rapunzel nodded. "It's just a bunch of fairy stories, Eugene. That's what I was told anyway." She looked at him. "And if you believe in children's fairy tales, then you must have a soft spot somewhere. I don't believe you're the hardened criminal you say you are anyway. And by the way, maybe you should be using your real name. It would take a lot of people by surprise."_

_Eugene stared at her; for the first time he had nothing to say._

"_Look," Rapunzel answered. "Bring the book with you tomorrow. Maybe we'll read together. You do like books, don't you?"_

_Eugene nodded. "What makes you think we'll see each other?"_

_Rapunzel smiled. "I don't know. I'm actually surprised myself. I'm usually not allowed out of the tower, my stepmother doesn't usually let me. It's kind of strange that she lets me out to see you, though." She stared at him. "Why do you suppose that is?"_

_Eugene just sat there staring into her lovely green eyes. He couldn't come right out and say what he was doing and why he was doing it; especially since it was her own stepmother that wanted to get rid of her. _

"_Maybe she just trusts you," Rapunzel continued._

"_Trusts me?" Eugene asked. "How could she trust me? I'm not a nice person, Rapunzel. No one trusts me."_

"_Well," Rapunzel said, looking at him. "She must know you and it's not from all those wanted posters stuck on all those trees out there. I know she's seen them a lot more than I have."_

"_Look, Princess, there's something I have to tell you about myself. I'm not who you think I am. This whole thing is not what you think."_

_Rapunzel smiled and shook her head. She placed her arms around his neck and pulled him close. _

"_And what are you supposed to be, Eugene, besides a con man and a thief. You're smart and funny and you love children's stories. You make me feel alive and you've shown me the world. Come on, you should give yourself a bit more credit. You're a wonderful person, Eugene and you should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments." _

And for the first time in four days, she kissed him.

Eugene shook his head. He was so confused. He actually almost told who he really was and what he was supposed to do. Who was making who off balance? This whole plan of his was headed the wrong way.

Eugene had to be careful and get back to business. He had to get back on track. This just wasn't like him. It was the wrong time and the wrong place to be falling in love like this. They needed the money, HE needed the money. And nothing was going to stop that.

Not now, not ever. And not if he could help it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"For the first time that he could remember, Flynn Rider was bound to a chair and could not free himself. He stared at the beautiful princess sitting opposite him, asleep, or at least she appeared to be. She waited until the intruder came over to her chair, an evil grin playing on his lips."

Eugene had brought the book as promised. The two went riding into the woods and heard a rushing of water. Following the swift moving river, the two finally came upon a beautiful waterfall by a clearing. They led their horses over to a tall birch tree and secured them. Eugene removed the Tales of Flynnagan Rider and a blanket from his saddlebags and spread it out while Rapunzel brought out a well packed lunch of bread and cheese. The two had spent most of the day taking turns reading to each other.

"'You will go first, and then he will go next,' the intruder told the princess, pointing out to everyone. He wasn't sure if the princess had heard him at all, she seemed to be asleep.

It didn't matter; he'll get everything he wanted from her. The sooner, the better, he reasoned as he drew his sword.

But the princess was faster, drawing her knife out of her boot and knocking the sword from the intruder's hand. Rider watched, amazed at the quickness and timing.

He watched as she broke from her already loosened bonds and tackled him to the ground. Then pressing her knife against his throat, she asked him gently to release Rider from his bonds. The intruder nodded and performed his duty. Rider was able to free himself, grab his sword and chased the intruder out the door, laughing as he did so. The beautiful princess ran toward him and they embraced. Flynn couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be to have her by his side. Together, they could make an excellent pair, the swashbuckling playboy and the beautiful princess. What a perfect blend.'"

Rapunzel stopped reading and looked up at Eugene who was staring at her. He was speechless. Children's tale or not, he was thinking how true that story might turn out to be in real life. It was just coincidental that she just happened to turn to that story in particular.

"That was a great story, Eugene. I can see why he's your hero. He's such a wonderful guy, rescuing all these women in distress, except maybe this princess who freed him up Shall we read another?"

When he didn't answer, she looked into his eyes and shook her head. She smiled.

"Something wrong or has the cat got your tongue?" she asked playfully. "

Eugene was in a daze. Those eyes, those large beautiful green pools as lovely as the mountain river. He could get lost in those eyes.

He hadn't heard a word she said.

"Did you know that you are beautiful, Rapunzel, especially when you're lost in a story?"

"I love books, Eugene, you know that." She grabbed his vest and pulled him closer, but he was having none of it.

He stood from his seat on the rock, turned his back on her and headed for the wooded area behind them.

"Eugene?"

He stood there shaking his head. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't go through with this.

"Rapunzel, listen," he said, turning toward her. "I've got something to tell you. You see…"

"No listen to me, Eugene. I know everything. You were hired by my stepmother to kill me, weren't you?"

He turned around to face her, a look of confusion and relief on his face. He frowned.

"How in the world…"

"I overheard her last night, Eugene. She was talking to Bastian Smyth, the groundskeeper. They're having an affair, although he's much younger than she is. She's got him wrapped around her little finger. Sometimes he does errands for her and delivers messages. Apparently, you're taking too long to get rid of me."

"You know she wants to be the fairest in the land. As long as you're alive, Rapunzel, she will do anything regain her title and that includes killing you."

Rapunzel stared at him. "You're being paid to this job, Eugene, do it. We're out in the middle of the woods, if that's what your intentions were."

Eugene shook his head. "I'm not the one who does the killing. Besides, I led you in the wrong direction. We were supposed to go south, not north. The Stabbington boys are waiting there. I don't know if they still are."

Rapunzel regarded silently for a moment. "So what are you telling me, Eugene?"

He looked into her eyes. "I've fallen in love with you, Rapunzel. You have a great way of calming me down and making me feel good about myself. No other woman has ever treated me the way you have. You're different and special."

When no answer came, he continued. "That's why I'm letting you go. You've got to get out of here. I'm no good for you. You're a princess and I'm a criminal. This cannot end happily."

Rapunzel stood next to him. "How much do you love me, Eugene? Do you want to be with me the rest of my life, because I'll tell you something? I'm nothing without you, Eugene. I'm a princess in name only. I can't go back to that tower. I'll have nothing. You opened up a brand new world for me and I don't want it to end. I need you; Eugene Fitzherbert, I love you. You're my hero, my Flynnagan Rider."

Eugene stared at her not knowing how to react to that. Tears began to fall from his eyes as he scooped her up into his arms. He released her and stared into those eyes and brought his lips down to hers. He didn't release her until they heard the sound of a pack of wild dogs.

"Quickly," Eugene said, "I think we're being hunted. Grab what you can and follow me. We'll follow the river so the dogs will lose their scent."

Rapunzel nodded and grabbed up everything but the picnic basket. Together, they made their way upstream heading north away from everything that had been familiar to them.

It was indeed going to be a brand new world for both of them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

"Where are they, boys?" Gothel was furious. "Apparently, my dogs couldn't track them down."

Eye Patch and Sideburns stared at one another. "I suppose Rider is with her?"

Gothel narrowed her eyes angrily. "I am not concerned with Rider at the moment, only with Rapunzel. I have no idea what happened to that coward."

"He's not supposed to do the deed, we are. He was supposed to lead her to us this afternoon. He never showed up."

Eye Patch nodded in agreement.

Gothel just looked at him in amazement, and then turned toward Sideburns. "This must be the first time Rider's done this to you?"

The twins nodded. "We went in a southerly direction, toward the city of Haven. He must have gone the opposite way." Sideburns shook his head. "We have no idea if the dogs found him or not."

Sideburns stared at Gothel. "But you say that you know your stepdaughter is alive?"

Gothel nodded her head. "Yes, I'm quite sure. As I'm quite sure that your Flynn Rider is with her. What's even stranger is that the dogs haven't returned and they have been long trained to do so."

The Stabbington Brothers looked at one another.

"We'll have to wait until the morning light to continue our search." Gothel said, exasperated. She'd had enough of these Stabbington boys. She was starting to think that they were nothing but puppets and Flynn Rider was the entire brains of the outfit. She shook her head in disgust. Could these guys do anything except follow directions? And these three had come highly recommended.

"Alright," Gothel said, resigning herself to the only outcome she could see. Besides, it was beginning to snow again. So much for the warm afternoon that had enjoyed.

"I will sleep here tonight," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not walking back to the castle in the snow, even if it is close by." She looked at the twins. "I am taking over this entire operation. It will be us now."

"What about our…" Sideburns began, but Gothel cut him off.

"You two will do as I say from this moment on," she said. "You will get your money when we kill the Princess and not one moment before. Do you understand me?"

The twins stared at her and then at one another. They turned to her and nodded their heads.

"Alright," Gothel said, calming down. "Now where is that extra room?"

XXXXXXX

Eugene, Max, Rapunzel and Suede moved onward with very little food and hardly any rest. They fell asleep under the stars and in caves when it was cold or snowy. Using the river to cover their tracks, they continued to travel to the north, as far away from the Kingdom of Corona as they can get.

By this time the dogs have stopped following them, but the further up north they go, they are battled by elements of nature. It is the snow that hinders them the most, forcing them to take refuge earlier than they had planned.

It is on one particular snowy afternoon that the two stumble onto an inn practically all but hidden in the woods. The tiny inn, known locally as the Inn of the Seven Dwarves, seems like the perfect place to rest for the night. It has been windy and cold, with the snow piling up rather quickly. Eugene and Rapunzel are freezing and are in need of warmth and comfort.

What Eugene and Rapunzel find inside are not dwarves at all; but a motley group of former bandits and thieves who call themselves the Pub Thugs.

Big Nose, Hookhand and Gunter are the first to usher in the two fugitives. They settle them beside a warm fire and Shorty and Lena, Big Nose's wife, serves them food and drink.

Eugene and Rapunzel, left to their own devices, fall asleep by the fireplace in each others arms.

"Have you any idea who they are?" Tor whispers, watching the two of them sleep. All the Thugs except Shorty, Hookhand, Big Nose and Lena are seated around one large table in the middle of the floor It is clear that they don't get many travelers to this part of the world and it is a major deal when they do receive guests.

"Where do you think they're headed?" Attila contributes, bringing out his latest batch of cupcakes for everyone to enjoy.

"Well, it obvious they're headed north," Big Nose contributed as he grabbed bottles of wine, bread and cheese and placed them on the bar..

"And it seems to me that they are running from something," Lena added as she served the food and drinks to the hungry thugs at the table.

"What about Shorty? He seems to know everything that goes on around here." Hookhand stopped playing the piano and stared up at the tiny man still seated at the bar.

Shorty was the one who made the rounds in town, gathering supplies and information. He was the smallest of them and was quick to get in and out before someone could catch him, although he did pay with their meager savings. The big problem with Shorty was that, when he had nowhere to go, as was the case this day, he liked to have a drink. Sometimes, it was a drink too many.

And this was one of those days. Shorty had his head down on the bar, snoring away, not a care in the world.

"Maybe tomorrow, guys," Big Nose said, as he slipped out from behind the bar to join the rest of the thugs at the table. "He'll fill us in, I wouldn't worry. He's a smart little guy."

The rest agreed and sat down to enjoy an evening meal while the snow and wind raged on outside.

XXXXXX

Eugene woke up to unfamiliar surroundings. He sat up and looked around but everything was dark and the fire was winding down. But even in the darkness, he found the one thing that he needed the most sleeping beside him. He reached out to touch Rapunzel; needing to know if she was really there or if it was his imagination. Satisfied all was real, Eugene pulled his hand back and lay back down; a smile on his face. He swore that when all was well, he would marry her and keep her beside him forever. He never wanted to lose her again, princess or not.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Gothel cracked the door of her new room and peeked out. She looked from right to left and then back again to make sure she hadn't missed anyone. Satisfied, she closed her door and locked it. Reaching inside her cape, she pulled out a silver flask of elixir, made from her special flower. All she needed was barely a drop and it would keep her young and healthy forever. She'd lost track of her age or how old she really was; all she cared about was her looks and Rapunzel's death, Right now, all she wanted to get rid of the competition.

She twisted the cap and took a tiny sip. Gothel didn't use this method too often, only when an emergency arose, such as this. She didn't want to take charge, but without Rider around, these two were bumbling idiots, or so she thought anyway. Once out on the road, she would make quick work of the twins and move in for Rider and his new love, the princess. Well, now, wait a second. Maybe she'd just kill off Rapunzel and keep this Flynn Rider for herself. He could be useful; she'd have to see.

There were no mirrors in the room, in fact, she didn't really remember seeing any mirrors throughout the house. No matter; she carried a tiny one just in case. It wasn't her magic mirror; that was back at the castle.

Greta kept her collapsible gold plated mirror in her pocket, right next to the flask. It was her invention and design, at least she thought it was. Gothel had used one of her husband's old pocket watches for this. She replaced the insides of the watch with two small round mirrors, specially made for this purpose. It worked perfectly, especially when there was no lake or pond to admire herself in.

She opened up the case and peeked inside. The gray steaks in her hair had disappeared, leaving the usual black curls. Satisfied, she shut the case and returned the flask and portable mirror to the hidden pocket of her cape.

With a smile on her face, Gothel lay down on the bed. In an instant, she was asleep.

XXXXXX

"What do we now, brother?" Eye Patch asked as his brother paced their room. There were twin beds set up in small master bedroom that they shared. Eye Patch had the one right above the window. Sideburns had the closest to the door. It was a great set up. Eye Patch would signal his brother and Sideburns would take care of the rest.

"We've got to outsmart her," Sideburns whispered, staring at the wall that they shared with Rider's room. He used to hear everything that went on in the twins room and when he didn't like some plan they came up with, Rider would barge in and take over. It had been a great setup, but he was no longer there. The last thing they expected was Rider to walk out on both of them.

"I guess Rider didn't realize how much we need him right now," Eye Patch said a little louder than he should have.

"Shhhh," Sideburns answered, placing his finger to his lips. "Quiet or she'll hear us." He looked at his brother. "We've got to get rid of her, brother, the sooner the better." He looked up at his twin. "She's probably plotting our deaths as we speak."

Eye Patch looked at him. "What do you propose we do?"

Sideburns smiled. "My idea is to try and lose her; let her fend for herself, but we'll have to see how it goes. In the meantime, we play along with her. I want you to watch her movements, day and night. I've got to know what she's up to."

"Well, we've all heard the stories," Eye Patch whispered, "about how she keeps herself young and beautiful."

"Yes," Sideburns nodded. "but that's only in the castle. She's not there now, is she? And what's more, she wants to take over where Rider left off." A smile lit up his face as he turned to his brother. "Forget losing her, she might be more valuable to us than we know. But we need to stay quiet and watch her every move. We can handle that, can't we?

Eye Patch nodded. It wouldn't be the first time and they hoped it wouldn't be the last. Beside, they wanted revenge as far as Flynn Rider was concerned. At least, he did. He was sure his brother felt the same.

"Of course we can, brother. We've done it before, we can do again."

The two smiled at each other. It would work, Sideburns thought as he watched his brother. It had to. Their very lives depended on it.

XXXXXX

In the morning, Shorty indeed filled the Pub Thugs in. Two fugitives were on the run, a young couple. It was rumored that one was a princess and the other was a wanted hunter/bandit and he was pretty sure that it was these two.

Hookhand walked into the common room and spied the two still asleep by the fireplace, the fire long since burned out.

He turned back to rest of the group. "Okay men, there's a decision to be made here. What should we do with these two?"

And so it was decided that, for now, with the blizzard still raging outside, that they would hold on to them, at least hear their side of the story.

"They could be useful here," Bruiser said, pulling out his knitting. He was working on scarf and glove set. He had a few to sell already in the village marketplace. With this weather, he figured that they would get snapped up in no time.

"And from what I hear, this Flynn Rider is a smart guy," Attila said, kneading enough dough for 10 loaves of bread.

"We would need to disguise them," Big Nose said, looking at Killer. "They'd be recognized in an instant with their clothes."

"Not a problem," Killer said, "I'll take their measurements as soon as they wake up."

"And we'll have to get them married," Shorty said, downing his third drink of the morning already. "I'm still a valid justice of the peace."

Big Nose nodded. "Last I looked, you were, Reverend Pike. But you'd better confirm that before you set up any marriages, Shorty. I know you've recently married travelers, but you've got to tell them…"

Shorty smiled accepting his fifth drink. "I know, I'm just an old drunk who likes to dress up as Cupid for weddings. He downed another one, but by this time, he'd lost count. Well, he wasn't going anywhere, was he? Not out in this storm.

"And I always tell them to marry again, just in case."

Lena came entered from the kitchen area, she had been helping Attila with his baking as she did every morning.

"Let's get breakfast on the table, Shorty, I think you can use something solid."

"Nah," Shorty said, downing another drink. "I'm fine." Lena handed him a roll anyway. He would ignore it, but it was a try.

"They're waking up in there," Gunter said as Ulf pointed to the two restless figures inside.

"Let's go find out what they have to say," Big Nose said, as he swung open the counter door. "I don't believe we'll be getting too many visitors today, not in this blizzard."

And they all trooped into the common room where a still groggy Eugene Fitzherbert was getting to his feet. He was helping Rapunzel up when the Thugs descended upon him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

"We're not going anywhere, Your Majesty." Sideburns said, shaking his head. "At least, not until the weather changes or the snow stops, take your pick."

Gothel stood by the window of the small cottage. "I've got to find them, boys," she said, her face against the pane. "I will find that girl even if I have to do it alone."

Sideburns looked at his brother, then turned back to her. "I repeat, my Lady, we are not going anywhere. Not until this snow lets up. We don't even know if the girl and Rider made it by themselves to tell you the truth. And since you don't have the magic mirror…"

Gothel turned to face him, a smile playing around her lips. "I'm well aware of that fact, young man and you're right. I don't have the mirror with me and we don't know if they made it or not."

She turned back to look out the window. "Chances are she and Rider never made it to their destination, wherever that is, and had to stop at an inn just to get out of the snow."

"If…" Eye Patch was quick to finish. Sideburns nodded. "We have no idea where they are, but I'm sure they've gotten caught in this blizzard as we have. Wait a few days. We will not be able to follow them because we do not know where they are; the dogs could not find them as you said so yourself."

When no answer came, Sideburns continued. "My advice is to wait out the storm. A few more days and we'll walk to the castle where you're magic mirror awaits you. If by chance it tells you that she's alive, the three of us will have our revenge and you will keep the rest of your money. We have enough to finish the deed. What do you say, Your Majesty?"

Gothel stared at the two of them, still trying to keep her smile in check. If these two did not want the rest of their payment, then that was fine. Why should she argue? After all, she'd wasted enough money. She should at least be told that her stepdaughter was still alive or not. There was definitely no reason to run out into tthis blizzard.

"Alright," she said, turning to Sideburns. "You've convinced me to hold off." She stared both brothers in the eye. Meanwhile, I must take my leave of you. I have an idea."

Smiling, Greta retreated to her own room. The twins stared after her; and then turned to each other, surprised and pleased.

"That wasn't too hard, was it?

Sideburns stared back at his brother, but didn't respond. He just stared at Gothel's door, wondering what she had up her sleeve.

"Come on, brother," he continued. "You can help me get breakfast on the table."

XXXXXX

Gothel's idea of creating a smaller version of the mirror hadn't worked. She had tried over and over again to create a smaller version, but the spell just didn't take. To her dismay, she'd have to wait until this ridiculous snowstorm cleared itself up. With this much snow, she wasn't even sure she'd make it back to the castle.

She cursed herself for not trusting her instincts. Greta should have brought the twins back to the castle with her yesterday, before this snow piled up this high. She had no idea her plans could be so easily wiped out with one rotten blizzard.

Well, no matter, the boys had been right. Gothel couldn't go out in this mess. . She was risking her life and theirs along with it. She sighed and walked away from the window, sitting down on the bed. She would have to wait no matter how much she hated the idea and she hated it.

But the second this snow stopped falling, she would be out there; with or without the twins.

XXXXXX

"Well, now that we've entertained with you with our tale, we really must be getting out of here. We've inconvenienced you long enough and we haven't the money to pay for our night's stay. We have to keep moving so that the Queen can't catch up with us."

Big Nose listened and then shook his head. "You must realize that wherever you go, the Queen will know whether Rapunzel is alive or dead. In any case, you will not succeed by running away. Your best bet is to stay here in the meantime."

He spoke now to both of them. "We are in need of someone to run the inn, to cook, clean and wash and balance the books." He turned to Eugene. "Our source informs us that you are brilliant with problems and strategies and also a wiz with numbers, which none of us posses. So you will stay here for the time being. Most importantly, your names will be changed and to complete the disguise, new clothes will be made up. It won't take long for Killer to come up with some new outfits for you. To complete the disguise, you two will need to marry each other. Shorty here can perform the ceremony when he's ready and able to do so."

Big Nose looked around expecting someone to disagree, but no one had, not even from Rapunzel. The two stared at one another and smiled. They were sure it would work, even for a little while at least. They'd have to be careful, very careful not to get spotted even if and when Gothel tracked them down.

"You've got a deal," Eugene answered, smiling broadly and they shook hands. Whether they'd outsmart her or not, it was worth a try.

XXXXXX

"Well, here we are, Mrs. Flower FItzherbert," Eugene smiled at his beautiful new wife.

Rapunzel laughed, as she twisted a strand of her long brown hair with her left forefinger and her thumb. "I can't say I like my new first name, but I'm very much in love with my new last name, Eugene."

He smiled and moved closer to her. The room they had been given was located on the top floor and had been unoccupied for days.

"I think I could get used to something like this," Eugene said, placing his arms around her neck, bringing her closer toward him.

Rapunzel smiled. "You think or you know?" she asked him playfully.

But she would never get her answer, not in words anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

It was the snowiest winter in the history of Corona and its outlying counties, Shorty reported. The only time they would be able to continue their search was when the road between the inn and the main village was partially cleared enough for minimal travel. No one measured the amount, but it was so deep that it stalled travel and trade for almost two weeks. And that wasn't all, Shorty told them, the main road connecting Corona to the rest of it counties was so covered with the deepest snow that everyone would suffer for the rest of the winter, especially if it kept snowing every other day as it had been.

That would be another four months at the most, Shorty said and there was no telling when Flo and Gene Fitzherbert would be able to leave. Something had to be done, Shorty continued. The minute Queen Greta returned to her tower, she would discover that her stepdaughter would still be alive, despite all the precautions they had taken.

"We can't kill her, Shorty," Greno whispered, shaking his head.

"We've got to do something, though," Tor said, "or else she'll be coming up here to find them."

"And then she'll find all of you," Eugene said, as he came in from taking care of Max and Suede and cleaning the stables.

"Finding us doesn't matter much, Eugene," Killer butted in. "We've been out of the thieving business so long, we can't even count."

"The only other thing we can do," Gunter said, is to disguise her so that every time Her Majesty looks into that mirror and she'll see someone else, someone else named Flo Fitzherbert."

They all turned to Fang who along with Killer created puppets and disguises, especially for many of the traveling performers that passed their inn.

"Do you think it'll work?" Rapunzel asked carrying out a big pot of homemade pea soup for everyone. Big Nose had long since told her that dried vegetables, grains and certain fruits were kept in the root cellar. All other food stuffs that needed to be kept cold were stored in the ice house, right next door to the inn.

"Come and get it, boys, while it's still hot."

All the thugs made it over to the table before anyone could say "Soup's on."

"I think it might," Fang said, finishing up his big bowl and handing it back to Rapunzel for a refill. "We'll just have to give it a try."

Rapunzel nodded and looked over at Eugene who was sitting at the head of the table; his brown eyes locked into hers. He had a worried look on his face and fear in his eyes. Rapunzel smiled, grabbed his bowl and filled it to the brim with more pea soup. She'd speak with him later as usual. Meanwhile, she had her job to do.

XXXXXX

The main road between the castle and the tiny farming village of Pern, next door and where the twins were located, was starting to melt. It melted just enough to let the Guards out to scour the countryside for Queen Greta. No one was quite sure where she had gone off to, and the search was called off in a few days. If she wanted to return, they'd give her a few months. If she'd not returned by then, someone else would take her place.

And of course Rapunzel was next in line, but she was missing as well. Something had to be done. But the Queen had to make the return trip on her own. No one knew where she had gotten off to.

XXXXX

"Well?" Gothel asked as Sideburns and Eye Patch said, shutting the front door behind them. It was starting to snow again.

Sideburns shook his head. "The roads are still shut down, especially further up into the village of Perth and beyond. My sources tell us that's where Rider and your stepdaughter were last seen."

"BUT THEY COULD BE ANYWHERE!" Gothel breathed aloud. "We've got to pinpoint their location."

"As we mentioned before, they could be dead," Sideburns said, shaking his head. "We have no way of knowing if they are truly there, Majesty. As we told you before, the two of them have not been spotted since the snowstorm ended. It seems as though both of them disappeared. We have no way of determining the exact place where they might be located."

"But I do, boys," Gothel said, shaking her head. "We need to get back to the castle and quickly before time runs out. I need to know if that little imp is still alive."

Sideburns looked at Eye Patch, then back to the Queen. "We will try tomorrow, Your Majesty, but if it's the same weather as today, we will have to wait until road clears up a bit more. Until then, we stay here or until someone from the castle comes to claim you. We've heard that some of the Guards were out this way a few weeks ago, but they have not been seen since. The snow is still piling up. We might have to wait until spring, my lady."

Gothel was getting angrier by the second. She too wondered why not one single soul from the castle had come to her rescue. They should have knocked on every door to find out who was harboring a queen. That would have been the smart thing to do, but who said that the guards were smart. They were clumsy and foolish and knew nothing about proper procedure and protocol.

Staring up at the two of them, Gothel frowned and shook her head. She got up from her chair and stamped her foot. "I will not tolerate any more of this," she spat. "I thought that the two of you were brave souls who could tackle anything that comes there way. Well, I guess you aren't the same famous twins that I've been hearing about."

Gothel turned her back on them and retreated angrily to her room. She shut the door.

The twins stared at the closed door and turned to one another. Sideburns smiled and Eye Patch cocked his head, looking confused.

"You know more than what you're telling us, brother," Eye Patch said, staring into his brother's face.

Sideburns smiled and shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure where they are myself, brother, they could be anywhere. The one thing I do know is that there is a small inn run by a bunch of former bandits. They call themselves the Pub Thugs."

Eye Patch's eyes widened, but Sideburns told him to take it easy. "Everything will be accomplished in due time."

XXXXX

Rapunzel looked for Eugene everywhere. Desperate to find her husband of three weeks, she ran into the stable. She'd figured that he'd be caring for the horses and the other livestock and telling his troubles to his best friend, Maximus.

And that's just where she found him, pitching hay and getting the horses ready for the night.

"Hi," she said, surprising him, as he turned around to face her.

"Hi youself," Eugene smiled as he put down the pitchfork and placed his arms around her waist. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"What's wrong, Eugene?" she asked him, staring into his brown eyes.

Eugene looked back and shook his head. "Why should there be anything wrong? You're my wife, I love you. It's just that..."

"Just what?" Rapunzel asked, as Eugene's smile disappeared. He untangled himself and picked up the pitchfork again.

"It's just that I'm afraid of losing you, Rapunzel. I should never have put you in such danger to begin with. I should have let you go onward by yourself. I'm not worthy of you. I don't even know how to cope with this. She'll find us, with that magic mirror of hers. She'll find us and track us down and..."

Rapunzel shook her head. She wrenched the pitchfork out of his hands and shook her head.

"We'll get through this together, Eugene. Nothing can happen when we stick together. Don't be such a coward. Where is the hunter/bandit when I need him? I love you."

Eugene looked into her eyes and nodded his head. "And I love you, but I'm not sure about all this."

Rapunzel smiled and looped her arms around his waist. "But I am, Eugene. Together, with the help of the Pub Thugs we will succeed. If their scheme works, we'll be fine. But we've got to set up our own plan and we've got to do it now. Things will work out, my own Flynn Rider. And nothing will stop it."

Eugene smiled. He took her face into his hands and brought it down to meet his. Their lips touched and all thoughts after that were forgotten.

Including the plan, well for right now anyway.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

It was a miracle of sorts. Warm, almost springlike air, unusual for this time of year, descended upon Corona and its environs for a few weeks, clearing up the paths and making it possible for limited travel.

It had melted just enough for Gothel and the Stabbington brothers to make their way to the castle and into the tower itself.

But the castle it seems wasn't very ecstatic to have Queen Greta back. Gothel was though. She had arrived just in the nick of time. Besides almost running out of her elixir; there had been talk of revolution and treason that had spread throughout the castle like wildfire. Three months, they told the Queen, was a long time to be separated from her subjects. And although there actually wasn't a successor to the throne, there was only one person they thought of and that Bastian Smyth, the groundskeeper and caretaker. He was the closest the Queen in everything else, but age. Why, he was practically running the place while she had been gone.

Gothel stared at her advisers and courtiers in disbelief. Bastian Smyth? Why, he wasn't even a nobleman. He was simply a commoner who she was having an affair with, and he wasn't that great a lover either.

There must be something she could do. That man would ruin the entire kingdom. She'd rather see her stepdaughter on the throne than…

Stepdaughter? Was she serious? Where was that girl anyway? Hadn't she come here to find out? Forgetting about everything else, she ran to find that magic mirror of hers.

_Mirror, mirror in my hand_

_Show me is the fairest in the land_

Gothel's resemblance disappeared only to be replaced by the face of someone, someone that she didn't even recognize. The girl was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but there was something familiar about her. Was it those large green eyes or the long dark brown hair?

Of course it was; it had to be Rapunzel. Only three months had gone by, could she have changed that much?

"So that little imp is still alive," she said, shaking her head. "But where is she?"

She remembered hearing the twins talking about an inn, an inn in the village of Perth, which was about three weeks to a month travel time, especially walking distance. Traveling by horse, it would be almost a two weeks, depending on the weather. It wasn't a short distance.

Greta wanted this girl gone and she knew she wanted to do it herself, with the help of the twins, but she wasn't sure of their motives any longer. She was almost sure that they knew about the elixir and they wanted it for themselves.

Speaking of the elixir, she was in dire need of some, plus she need to refill her flask. The Queen couldn't afford to have someone discover the source of her secret though. The elixir was one thing, but once it ran out, how would they refill it?

To the end, she would send her closest advisor, Bastion with them. For once, she would stay here and monitor the situation. If things didn't work out as planned, she would be forced to travel to Perth alone and do the deed herself.

But she wouldn't make that mistake twice. She wasn't leaving the castle again, not if she didn't have to. And she definitely wasn't going to abandon her subjects again, no way.

Greta smiled thinking about it. She'd call the three of them up to meet with her, and maybe, just maybe, she could kill two birds with one stone.

Or perhaps even three.

XXXXXX

Eye Patch couldn't believe his luck. The two of them had been given rooms of their own, not too far from Rapunzel's Tower, as it came to be known. They were, as the Queen had feared, dead set on getting that elixir and the flower that it came from. It meant so much more to them than the pittance that they'd receive killing the princess.

They would be rich, Sideburns told him, richer than anyone else in the world. They could market this elixir and they, along with their customers, would live forever. Now all they had to do was find this magic flower that everyone was talking about. That's where the power came from after all.

But where was it hidden? And how could they reproduce it? When would it run out of the magic? No one knew anything, except perhaps the Queen herself.

That's where his brother was now, gathering much needed information. There was another man here, someone named Bastian, who called himself the groundskeeper and caretaker of the castle. But was he or was he something more than that?

And honestly, Eye Patch thought, could they really trust him?

It was then the door burst open and his brother walked in followed by one young handsome dude. He had sandy blond hair and large blue eyes. He was tall and slender and his chiseled features made him a stand out.

Very strange, he reminded him of Rider. Not the way he looked, but his swagger, his attitude and the way he carried himself.

It was as if he knew everything about anything and then some.

Eye Patch kinda guessed that this stranger was none other than Bastian Smyth and if it was, he could understand the Queen's love and trust for him.

"This is…" Sideburns began, but Eye Patch extended his hand before his brother could finish.

"Nice to meet you, Smyth. I suppose you know who I am?"

Bastian smiled. "I've been briefed by your brother here."

He withdrew his hand from Eye Patch and turned to Sideburns.

"Well, I've gotten new orders from the Queen herself."

Eye Patch and Sideburns stared at one another.

"What does that mean?" Sideburns asked staring at Bastian.

"It means, thieves; we have to be ready to go to Perth to find the Princess Rapunzel. Queen Greta will stay here, while we track the princess. There is a large payout and a reward for getting her back safely to the castle."

"Now who's with me?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

Back in Perth, the Inn of the Seven Dwarves was busier than ever. The warm spell had cleared the roads just enough for traffic to move from village to village. News spread far and wide of two new innkeepers, Flo and Gene Fitzherbert, who were doing a bang up job attracting guests; Gene with his smooth style of dealing with customers and Flo with her attention to detail with cleaning and cooking. The inn became such a popular stop that there wasn't enough room to accommodate all the guests.

And so the Thugs got busy adding an extension to the inn. There were already seven added rooms to the barn, where a guest could still partake of the wonderful meals served morning, noon and night. Take away service was added as well. People from far and wide were known to visit Flo's kitchen for her absolutely marvelous brownies, cakes and pies.

And when she wasn't cooking, Flo painted. For the first time, colorful murals adorned the walls of the inn. There were scenes of snow covered trees, hills, lakes and forests. Flowers budding in the almost spring like air were depicted as well as the local wildlife.

And there were paintings as well that went on display along with the Pub Thugs wares. Craft shows once a month attracted a local following. Fang's puppet shows and Hookhand's show tunes and classical pieces kept the crowds entertained.

Amid all this popularity however, four months had gone by and there was no sign of Queen Greta or Flynn's former partners, the Stabbington brothers.

But the one thing they both knew was not to let their guard down. The Queen and her cronies were still alive and one day, they would be discovered. This fact consumed Eugene and it was all that Rapunzel could do to soothe his nerves, although she found that it was good therapy for both of them. They went for quiet walks and horseback rides whenever they found time to do so. Rapunzel loved her freedom away from the horrible tower that had imprisoned her for so long.

Life was prosperous and busy for both the Thugs and new innkeepers until one day three faces that they had forgotten about suddenly appeared at their doorstep.

The Seven Dwarves was well known before the arrival of the Ftizherberts, but somehow they were the ones who put it on the map. And so one night, Bastian told the twins that they were staying there for a night before moving onward.

As soon as they walked in, they were greeted with a variety of smells from the kitchen. It was Big Nose at the counter who walked asked if they needed any help. Flo was helping Lena in the kitchen and it was she who peeked out the swinging door.

Eugene was in the barn as usual tending to the horses and livestock. It was Greno who brought the new horses into the barn and handed them to Eugene.

"New arrivals," he told him, handing Eugene the reins. "We'll have to put them in here for the night, they can handle it."

Eugene nodded and accepted the horses, but not before noticing that they were indeed palace horses, all decked out with the Queen's symbol of the Golden Flower.

"Greno," he called out and the thug turned around.

"What did these men look like?"

Greno smiled. "Well, two are big and burly. One wears an eye patch and the other has long thick sideburns. The third is tall and slender, but muscular. He's built a lot like you are, Gene."

Eugene nodded and watched him leave. His worst nightmares had finally come true. They found them.

Eugene was going to have to one of two things. Dig up the disguises that the Fang and Killer created for them or leave in the dead of night.

He decided to listen to Rapunzel and grab those disguises. That of course was dependent on how long they stayed here.

XXXXXX

Rapunzel hurried to the barn. Of course, she had recognized Bastian first, but she had seen the other two before, probably those wanted posters alongside the notorious Flynn Rider. Both were missing and still wanted. Could it be coincidence that they both disappeared at the same time or was that rumors that were floating about?

In her arms were the disguises that Fang and Killer made. She had already applied her makeup so she wouldn't be recognized and placed a short dark brown wig on her head. A small bonnet covered her hair.

"Gene," she called into the cool darkness of the barn. "Gene, where are you?"

"Over here, Flo," Eugene answered, coming out of the shadows.

"They've arrived and Big Nose and Shorty are taking good care of them. They are so drunk now, they don't know their which end is up."

Eugene smiled. Shorty had his ways alright. "You have what we need?"

Rapunzel nodded and handed his over to him. They dressed quickly and admired each other with a smile.

Flo was a slightly pudgy woman with round red cheeks and Eugene suddenly developed a paunch. His cheeks were equally red and round.

The disguises were clever and they would work, especially for one night

Or so they hoped.

XXXXXXX

The three new arrivals were shown to their rooms by Eugene himself. He didn't have much to explain to them as Greno, Tor and Gunter helped guide them. They hadn't even been paying attention. The twins broke into a lighthearted song that Eugene was careful not to join in. The song was from his past, from the orphanage that he and the Stabbington boys grew up in.

The Thugs got them undressed and settled them into their pallets for their rest. It was already way past 2 in the morning and the boys would have a long sleep.

But Eugene could not rest, he was nervous as usual. Rapunzel came down the steps to join him in the common room where he now sat.

"We're going to have to leave," Eugene said, shaking his head. "There is no other way."

Rapunzel nodded. "Everything is packed, Eugene. The Thugs have made arrangements for us to be put up in the village. Once Bastian and the Stabbington boys are gone, we'll be able to come back here, but we must be careful. We'll have to leave now."

Eugene looked up and touched her cheek. "What if they ask for the innkeepers."

Rapunzel shook her head and smiled. "Everything is taken care of. They all wish us well. By the time they wake up we'll be gone."

"And what if they don't leave," Eugene said.

Rapunzel smiled. "That option has been taken of as well. I wouldn't even think twice about that one."

Eugene smiled. "Let's get a move on then."

They both stood up and headed for their horses. Eugene was confident that they wouldn't be any problems thanks to Rapunzel's calming and soothing words as usual.

The woman was amazing. Eugene knew that he couldn't have gotten this far without her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

Atilla, Ulf, Vladamir, the Pirate Thug and Killer all stood outside the barn, sizing the situation at hand. They found Eugene and Rapunzel asleep in the loft, far away from their three guests.

Ulf woke them and smuggled them back into the inn, packages and all, while the other four went to find their guests. Shorty had mentioned that it wasn't safe for the two to travel; Guards were everywhere, as per Queen Greta's order to capture and kill.

"The witch and her mirror," Gunter said, as he eyed one of Rapunzel's paintings. It was crooked, again. Tor was taking care of the plants as usual.

"We have to be quiet and careful, Greno." Shorty said, as he and Greno moved from the bar area to help two very sleepy people upstairs. Shorty turned to Ulf. "Go find Fang," he told Ulf. "Figure out something to keep the Guards entertained."

He turned to Big Nose and his wife, Lena. "Keep serving if those Guards do show up. We've got to be prepared for anything and everything."

Everyone nodded and watched and waited.

XXXXXX

It was Bastian who awoke first. He found himself bound and gagged, draped on the back of a horse. He tried to pick his head up, but found it difficult. He tried so hard to loosen his bonds that he almost fell off his horse. Thanks to the Pirate Thug's quick actions, Bastian lost consciousness again.

"Been dealing with these types all my life," the Pirate Thug, who had seen the whole incident. "Always have to be on your toes and ready for mutiny." It was Vlad who was transporting Bastian; Attila had Sideburns and Killer had Eye Patch. The Pirate Thug was riding in back, keeping a watchful eye over the situation.

It was suggested to travel the side roads, as the Queen's Guards were looking for something out of the ordinary. And these three would be recognized instantly. So far, they hadn't run into any trouble and they were far enough away from inn.

"Drop them here," the Pirate Thug ordered, as they stopped in the middle of nowhere. "Tie them to that tree and let's get going."

"You know the way back, don't you?" Killer asked, when the job was done.

The Pirate Thug smiled and stroked his long beard. 'Have I ever steered you wrong yet?"

The three smiled, jumped on their horses and left Bastian and the twins to the elements of nature or the Guards, whichever came first.

XXXXXX

Gothel pranced around her bed chamber in ecstasy. As luck would have it, her portable mirror was a magic one all along. It had been cut from the glass that made her magic mirror, she just hadn't realized it.

Where the enchanted glass had come from, she had no clue. That glass was older than she was, she figured anyway. It had to be, it was there when she moved in. Roland must have gotten it from somewhere and eventually she'd find out as soon as she was rid of Rapunzel. Well, now she had others to dispose of, Bastian, her knight in shining armor, had failed her and failed her big time. She remembered the night she sent him away, right after their lovemaking.

The silly fool, he assured her that she didn't need to come; that the three of them could handle it without any problems. He'd track her down and let the twins do the rest, although they'd be disposing of two bodies, not one. Bastian nodded and promised Greta that he'd give her anything she asked for, including the moon and stars.

Everything was at her disposal; all she had to do was ask.

They made love and everything was forgotten until she woke the next morning and he was gone, along with the twins. She looked into her mirror and saw grey streaks shooting through her hair and remembered that she had forgotten to use her magic golden flower.

She opened her chamber door and made sure no one was about. She looked right and left, but couldn't see anyone. Smiling, she closed the door and ran to the far wall. She tapped lightly and a hidden door swung open, revealing the sunroom where the magic golden flower and its magic elixir was kept; among other things. The Queen had it built especially to keep out prying eyes and nosy questions. No one knew it was here, she was sure of that; now that Roland had been taken of.

But no matter, the rest of that family would soon meet his fate and there was nothing anyone to stop her.

Right now, however, the only thing she seemed to be interested was that darn elixir. She had tons of it as she smiled and made her way deeper into the hidden room. Greta scooped up the jug she had and was surprised to see the jug open, the cork gone and some of the contents spilled on the floor.

The flower too was missing, but some of the cuttings were still inside a medium size jar. Gothel wasn't sure what she could get out of them, if anything. She placed the cuttings in some warm water and waited. Most likely she would have to wait until tomorrow and make sure she'd get the full effect.

A knock forced her to look up. She was finished here anyway; there was nothing more she could do until tomorrow. She closed the door to the sunroom and made her way toward her chamber door.

"Here you go, Your Majesty," one of the Guards said, as the door opened. He handed her a package wrapped in muslin. "Everything that you require is in here."

Gothel opened up and her eyes lit up. She looked up at the Guard, who was patiently awaiting his next orders. "Excellent, my love; this is more than I can ask for." Their eyes locked. "You will be rewarded handsomely. I trust everything else went well?"

The Guard nodded. "I just have to return this uniform to the man I stole it from and I'll be on my way."

The Queen smiled and drew him closer to her. "Don't you want your payment, my boy? You do deserve everything I promised you and more."

She stared at the boy and shook her head. "You look so much like your cousin, Ian Smyth, but that's where it stops."

Ian smiled and placed his arms around her. "I'm glad I can be of help, my lady. You've given me everything I've wanted and more."

Greta smiled. "And now I have decided to give you your just reward."

And as they kissed, she kicked her chamber door closed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

"I think I look so much better in that uniform, don't you agree, my lady?" Ian was smiling as he admired himself in her mirror.

The only answer he got back was a loud scream.

Ian frowned and hurried into the hidden room off the sunroom.

"Your Majesty?" he asked, curiously.

Greta looked up, her face red; her eyes shooting daggers at him. "What is this you brought me? There's nothing in any of these bottles," Gothel fumed, as she threw the wrapping to the floor. "And where is that flower? I thought…"

Ian looked into her eyes and frowned. He walked to the table where Greta had assembled the three large bottle which he had been handed hours ago.

His confused gaze met hers. "I don't know, my lady. I was assured that these were exactly…"

"YOU WERE ASSURED?" Gothel screeched. "WHO WAS IT THAT ASSURED YOU?"

Ian was about to mention when Gothel waved her hand. "No, don't tell me. It doesn't matter much anymore. What matters is my stepdaughter is still alive somewhere."

Ian smiled. "The Guards will find her, my lady, and they'll find whoever did this to you."

Gothel looked up, her eyes wide and a small smile playing around her lips. "I wonder, Ian. I just wonder. The girl's outsmarted me at every turn. She's well hidden; that one is. But there is another, someone that I have trusted all this time. Someone who assured me that..." She never finished the sentence. The Queen shook her head as she turned her back on Ian. "I have enough elixir to last me until the summer and I can squeeze a bit out of the cuttings," she said, thinking aloud. "I'm not sure how long I can go without it. I'll have to start planting…."

She turned around to face him, never realizing her mistake until she caught Ian's glare. His brows were furrowed in confusion.

The Queen smiled and waved her hand at him again. "Never mind about what I just said, Ian," she laughed nervously. "Those guards have never failed me and as far as I know, they will never fail me."

She stroked his hair. "Go, my love, I will call on you again when I need you."

Ian was still frowning. He reached out to touch her arm, but she stepped away. "No, you've got to go. I will call on you soon, Ian, as soon as possible as a matter of fact. It won't be too much longer, especially if those guards come back empty handed."

Ian bowed and opened her chamber door. He looked back for one split second hoping to see her face once more before he left, but she had disappeared. He sighed and shook his head as he closed the door behind him.

XXXXXXX

"What's this? Rapunzel asked as Vlad placed a package of white muslin in her hand.

"I found this on one of the hunters, Miz Fitzherbert," the thug answered. "Don't know what it is exactly, just something I thought you'd be interested in."

Rapunzel heard the clinking of glass as she accepted the package. She unwrapped it and stared at it intently. She stared at it intently. Three large filled bottles of a clear liquid that she'd never seen before. A golden flower sat to the right of those bottles. She frowned and shook her head, but stopped and looked up, remembering something, something that she didn't want to remember.

"We've got to hide this, Vladamir," she said, wrapping up the bottles again. "We've got to keep it safe so no one gets a hold of it; especially those guards." She looked up. 'I'll give it to Eugene to put away. I know just what to do with these."

Vlad looked at her and and nodded, stepping out of her way. "I'll follow you down to the stables, make sure everything is alright."

"No, Vlad, everything's okay. I just need some time with my husband alone. I want to show this to him alone if you don't mind."

Vlad nodded and turned to walk away.

"Oh," Rapunzel said, rewrapping the bottles. "What about our three friends?"

Vlad turned to face her and smiled. "All taken care of, just as you and Mr. Fitzherbert instructed. The guards should find their horses on the side, but I'm sure that's all they'll find. Who knows how long they'll wander around those woods?"

Rapunzel smiled and picked up the package. "Eugene will be glad to hear that one, Vlad. Go downstairs and have yourself a drink, you've earned it."

With that, Rapunzel ran out the door clutching the package tightly in her hand. There was something important she had to tell him, something she'd been holding off for a while now.

XXXXXXX

Eugene smiled as he brushed off their horses. He could get used to this life, even if he really wasn't used to this. It was so peaceful, so unlike anything he was used to. Hustle and bustle, that's what he knew. Running away from everything, he was used to that too.

He looked at Suede and rubbed his hand across her nose. "Good girl," he whispered handing her an apple, which she gobbled up in a second. The red horse whinnied and Eugene gave her a pat on the side and started to walk away.

He started to pick up the rake and started to tidy up the barn, then he wanted to go upstairs to bed beside his wife. He adored her and he knew now that he wouldn't be able to make it through this life without her by his side. Princess or no princess, he wanted her and he wasn't going to let her go. Not now, not ever.

Gothel would never get hold of her, never. Eugene would make sure of that.

He couldn't let anyone know about the dangerous game he was playing, him, Bastian and the twins. He never intended to get Rapunzel involved in all of this, he really was supposed to knock her off balance for a while, it's just that Gothel got in the way. At first, the idea to accept sounded reasonable, the Queen was willing to pay and so he took on the job. He never intended to hurt the princess, he was hired to keep her safe and out of trouble. He was to rejoin Bastian and the twins when that assignment was over and concentrate on the original agreement he made.

Well, Eugene thought, no matter what's happened, she'd be safe, he'd see to it. He wouldn't let the Queen harm the only woman he ever loved, no matter whose side he was on.

"Eugene, Eugene," he heard his wife calling, as she burst through the barn entrance. "Look what Vald found," she called out. He could hear her foot steps as she came closer and he knew that eventually he would have to stop running.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

"Where are we?" Sideburns asked, looking around the forest. He tried to move his arms but found that he was tied to a tree.

"I don't know, but something tells me where no longer at the inn," Eye Patch answered, sitting next to him. He was tied to the same tree.

Sideburns just stared at him, sighed and shook his head. "Really and I thought you were making it all up,"

Eye Patch just smiled back. There wasn't much else he could do at this point.

Sideburns looked around and frowned. "I don't see our new partner in crime anywhere." He was out of his bonds already and turned to help his brother.

"Maybe he just left us here," Eye Patch answered, shaking off the ropes before the two of them stood up.

"No chance," a voice called out from inside the woods. Sideburns looked into the distance and narrowed his eyes. He saw a shadowy figure emerge from the woods. It looked as if their new companion had been awake for some time now. Not only that, but he had managed to free himself.

Well, it hadn't been all that hard, Sideburns thought, as he turned back to the tree where the ropes still were attached. They hadn't been tightly bound after all, had they?

"What do mean 'no chance'?" Sideburns asked as the figure closed in and stopped across from the twins. "What about our horses?"

"Good question," Bastian answered, as he gestured around the forest. "Do you see them anywhere?"

Sideburns opened his eyes wide. "You don't mean we're stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, do you?"

Bastian nodded. "And that's not all, you two. Our provisions are gone with them and that's not all that's disappeared."

Eye Patch narrowed his eyes and stared at his brother. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That means, gentlemen that our little package has gone with them. We're on our own out here and without a map…"

Sideburns looked angrily at Bastian. "What the heck are you talking about? What happened to Mr. Bloodhound? What about the guy who assured us that we would never get lost? What about all those promises you…. "

"Alright,' Bastian shot back. He narrowed his eyes a bit. "I already have an idea of where we are, my friends. I've been up most of the afternoon now, studying how the heck to get out here. I mean, give me some credit boys, will you?"

Sideburns turned to his brother, then back to Bastian, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"You know where we are?"

Bastian shook his head. "I didn't say that, did I? I said, I think I have an idea of where we are." He opened up his hand to reveal a small compass.

"Say hello to our little friend, boys," Bastian looked at them smiling. "We'll have to spend one more night in these woods; there really shouldn't be a problem. I've already chopped some firewood and I've located a rabbit hole. There are squirrels all over these woods and some edible plants. If you guys want to follow me, we can make it back to the inn in two days time if we head that way." He pointed in a southerly direction.

Eye Patch stared at Sideburns. "He's quick, isn't he?"

Sideburns ignored him. "We need more than that package, Mr. Know It All, we need the girl."

"And Flynn Rider," Eye Patch added, "We can't forget about him, now can we? He's gotten us into more trouble than we deserve."

Bastian looked at the two them and shook his head. "The Guards will take care of the girl and Rider at the same time. They're still out there as far as I know." He stared at the twins. "The main thing is to find that package before the Guards do, is that clear?"

"What about Rider and the girl?" Sideburns said, "My brother is right. They're still more valuable to us than…"

Bastian frowned. "Do you guys ever listen? I just said that the guards are all over the place. The roads between Corona and the village of Perth are swarming with them. They'll be discovered and brought to us in due time. Wherever they've disappeared to, they can't get far and I'll see that the double crosser gets everything he…."

Bastian trailed off. He looked at the twins and sighed. He almost gave away the entire thing, didn't he?

And maybe there was a good reason his old friend and cohort Eugene FItzherbert, did what he did. No one knew their real identities, not yet anyway.

And that also included the twins, who would have to be told sooner or later, hopefully later, much later.

But right now, Bastian had to concentrate on getting them out of these woods. He'd deal with Rider and the girl later.

XXXXXXX

Eugene smiled as he heard Rapunzel's voice. He rested the rake on some bales of hay and waited for her. She was a lovely bright light that had somehow broken through his darkness. She made him forget everything, which was both good and bad, especially where Bastian was concerned, but they were gone now, weren't they?

"Vlad just handed me this," Rapunzel said, as she entered the barn and joined him by his side.

She handed him the package and Eugene stared at it, almost afraid to unwrap it.

He looked up at her, a bit concerned and a little bit confused at the same time.

"He gave you this? Where was it?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "Don't know, Eugene. Vlad said the tall one with sandy blond hair was carrying it. What was his name again?"

"Bastian," Eugene said, absentmindedly, trying to remember if they'd mention their names or not now. He looked at Rapunzel who didn't seem to hear him. "You know what's in here?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Some bottles with some gold liquid inside and a flower, that's all I know." She was lying, but she was sure there was something going on. Why would anyone in the world want her stepmother's perfume unless….

Eugene unfolded the package carefully, making sure that no damage was done. He stared at it for a long time before he picked one up and examined it. He held it up to the light turning his gaze to Rapunzel. "You know what these are, don't you?"

Rapunzel nodded. "They belong to my stepmother. I've seen them before, several times. I used to sneak in and watched her boil that flower to make the liquid. She caught me once and told me that it was perfume."

Eugene let out a laugh and tried to stifle it with his hand.

"What's going on, Eugene?" Rapunzel frowned. Her gaze moved from the bottles to his face. "Tell me the truth."

Eugene stared at her. The three were gone, stuck in the woods somewhere. That's where the thugs were supposed to drop them off where the Guards would find them in no time. They'd be caught with the package on them and would be brought to justice for theft. It wasn't the deal, but it would give him and Rapunzel the time to get away; to be alone. They would find an island away from all this and live there for the rest of their lives…

"Eugene?" Rapunzel said, "There's someone coming."

Eugene looked up. Sure enough, he heard hoof beats in the distance.

"The Guards," he said, grabbing Rapunzel's hand. "We've got to hide this stuff and ourselves as well."

And he pulled Rapunzel deeper inside the barn. They'd wait until it was all over and then he'd explain everything.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

"Have you seen this couple?" the Captain asked Big Nose and Lena who happened to be standing behind the bar when the Guards barged in. They were everywhere, the common room, the upstairs and a few some of them around the back and into the kitchen area, right past Lena and Attila.

Lena frowned. "You just can't come busting in here….."

"It's way too late now, Lena," Big Nose said to his wife. "Leave it be."

The Captain stared at her. He held up one wanted poster of Rider and the other a sketch of Princess Rapunzel.

Lena stared back and then at the sketches. She shrugged her shoulders, huffed and walked into the kitchen, letting the swinging doors close behind her.

"They're not here," Shorty said, still sitting by the bar. "I don't think they were ever here. Are they together?"

Big Nose and the Captain stared at Shorty and looked up at each other.

"He's right, Captain, I've never seen those two in my life."

The Captain looked a little surprised. "It's been reported that these two have been seen in this vicinity.

Attila came out from the kitchen and glared at the Captain.

Now why don't you just move along," he thundered. "Big Nose is telling the truth. There's nothing here for you."

"He's right, Captain, they're not here. One of the guards called out from the steps.

"They're not in here either," another guard called out from the common room.

"What about outside? There's a barn? Did we check that?"

The guards, 10 in all stared at one another. They just realized the mistake they made.

They ran outside and split up in groups of 5, two men to a group. Four guards checked the back and front of the barn, while two more searched the inside, hoping against hope that the couple the guards were looking for were holed up inside the barn.

Four teams reported that nothing was out of the ordinary. Rapunzel and Rider were no where to be found, especially at the Inn of the Seven Dwarves.

The fifth team was still out there somewhere, the Captain guessing inside the barn. He wasn't sure how long the team would be there or how long to wait before he pulled them out of there altogether.

The Captain was inside the common room, staring out the window. He was looking at nothing; there were trees in every direction. He was growing impatient, he wanted to get back and with this mission accomplished. He wasn't used to defeat and he certainly wasn't used to disappointment. Situations like this hardly ever happened, but the few times that they did, the Captain wanted his performance to stand out. He liked to be hero and for all intents and purposes, he liked to spoken of as a hero, not as a fool or a bumbling idiot. The Queen wasn't so forgiving when the Captain couldn't come through for her.

He pulled away and paced the floor, trying to think. Everything piece of evidence the Queen had presented him pointed to this place. The Queen was sure that this woman was alive and well. The orders had been to find her and bring her back and it would be up to the Queen as to what the final outcome would be.

That was more or less the plan, she hadn't told him anything else. Who knows what she would do with the other four men who had been missing? Who knows if they were even alive or dead at this point?

The Captain continued his pacing. There was definitely no cooperation from these Thugs. He couldn't get anything out of them, no matter how much the Queen insisted she was right.

He stopped pacing and nodded his head. He had made his decision. The Queen wasn't going to like it, but there was nothing else he could do.

The Captain placed his helmet firmly on his head and strode out of the common room, past the bar area and out into the yard. He made his way to the barn to find the two guardsmen who went inside.

He was calling off the search. How he would break it to the Queen was his responsibility and his alone.

XXXXXXX

Eugene pushed Rapunzel deeper into the barn. They weren't far from the temporary guest rooms where Bastian and the twins stayed just last night.

Eugene's first instinct was to crawl into the unmade beds and pretend to be asleep, but Rapunzel was having none of it. It wouldn't work, she told the hunter/bandit, they'd see right through his plan.

Nodding silently, they moved further into the darkness as the two guards rattled around the barn, turning things over and talking loudly as they moved closer and closer to the two of them. It was all the two of them could do to keep still as the guards moved past the horses and barnyard animals letting them loose so that they could search their stalls and any other hiding places that they deemed worthy. Chickens squawked and ran as the two guards trampled underfoot, moving closer and closer to Eugene and Rapunzel hiding in the darkness. They were almost upon them, almost toward the unmade beds when another voice called the two guardsmen back; something about calling off the search and leaving. It was time to retreat, to call it day and head for home. There was nothing here, the voice continued, it was time to go.

Rapunzel and Eugene heard their footsteps as they headed toward the front of the barn and finally all was still. Their eyes met and locked in disbelief and happiness as all three voices faded away. They waited until they heard the door to the inn slam before they ran out the barn's back door.

They found Maximus waiting patiently beside the barn and it had looked as though he was packed and ready with supplies. What they hadn't seen was Shorty, who because of his size and weight, could slip in and out of the shadows easily. He was used to it and was taking full advantage of that now.

"Someone will get you when it's all over," Shorty assured Eugene as he held the reins while Eugene helped Rapunzel up. When the two were safely on astride Max, Shorty transferred the reins to Eugene and patted Max on the back.

"Safe journey you two. Everything is well in hand," he told them. And as Eugene spurred Max onward, Shorty watched until they disappeared into the village. They'd be safe for a while, at least until the guards departed for Corona anyway.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

"What are you saying?" the Queen angrily at the Captain of the Guard. She shook her head. "I have proof that she's there. I know for a fact that…"

She stopped as the Captain shook his head. "I don't know where you get your proof from, Majesty," he said, "but I can tell you that…"

The Queen frowned angrily and stamped her foot. "How dare you speak to me that way? And what's more it's none of your business where I get my proof from, understand? You work for me, not the other way around."

She glared at him. "I should have you and the rest of those men thrown into prison for that last remark, but it's not worth it to me. As of now, you and your men are out. I'll locate that girl myself and my missing articles if it's the last thing I do."

The Captain shrugged. "You'll need help, my lady. We are here at your disposal."

"And you're right, Captain, you certainly are disposable. There are some still left here who can help me out when I need it and he's offered to help out several times in the past. Why I keep using you guys is beyond me."

The Captain shook his head. "You realize, Your Majesty, that if we go, there'll be no one left to protect you. It will only be the two of you left here."

"And there you go again, Captain. What business is that of yours? You just do as I tell you and get the heck out of here. I can use some privacy and some time alone and it will finally be with someone I trust and care for. He'll take good care of me and I won't be in need for anyone again."

She stared at the Captain. She sounded like a little girl, but right now, she really didn't care how she sounded. Right now, all she cared about was finding what belonged to her and destroying her competition.

"You and the guards are dismissed," Gothel said with a wave of her hand. She turned her back and left the barracks. The Captain sighed with disbelief as she mounted her horse and headed back to the castle.

She would pay for this, but he and rest of the guards would be long gone.

XXXXXX

The old man walked away from the window of his room and shook his head. He'd been holed up at the Village Tavern in Perth for two weeks now. He knew he was early, but he was only try to fill his part of the bargain. He was lucky, the only reason he hadn't been charged an extra fee is because he knew the innkeeper well.

And that meant that he'd keep his secret.

He still couldn't understand what was taking his companions so long to arrive. They should have showed up at the tavern days ago. The old man kept asking after if there were any new arrivals, but to no avail; not even his old friend heard or saw anything out of the ordinary.

But he did have a story that he relayed to the gentleman and it had to do with three men who had been escorted from the Inn of the Seven Dwarves and seemed to have fallen off the map somewhere.

The old man just nodded at this tale. He had been eagerly awaiting four men, not three and hopefully, with one woman accompanying them. Why, the old man only inquired just this morning and there was still no news. He was growing impatient, so impatient that he couldn't stand it any longer.

He sat down on the bed and thought for a while. He wondered if those were the men he was looking for; but it couldn't be, could it? It would explain a lot of things, especially why they hadn't shown up yet. But it didn't explain why they were still stuck in the woods. They were hunters, hired hunters and bandits, good at what they did. He'd hired two of them early last year; assured by two of his most trusted men that they were the best in the entire village of Pern; that they knew the land like the back of their hand.

When the five of them met secretly, here at the tavern, they had put this plan into effect. But it was the winter that slowed them down, at least according to a message that had been sent. The blizzard kept the roads impassible for days. But days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and before he knew it, four months had gone by. Four months stuck in a little cottage in the woods. That's where he was supposed to meet them, but a new message arrived, informing him that everything was going according to plan, except that there were new details that would need explaining.

But that wasn't enough to change the original set up. The only problem was the location. The old man would have to abandon his cottage for the tavern; there were reasons that would be explained when they met him.

The old man was starting to believe that these might be the men he had been expecting after all; that some small accident had caused them to be late. He hadn't heard a thing for at least almost a month's time, Maybe it was about time he'd hunt them.

He decided then and there to head for the Inn of the Seven Dwarves and find out just what was keeping these guys.

And he was going to leave just as soon as he could get himself a new horse. It was about time he'd find out just what was going on in the first place and it was about time he'd do something about it.

XXXXXX

Bastian was still trying to get his bearings when the winds picked up. He looked through thousands of trees to notice the darkening sky. A flash of lightning and the sound of thunder completed the picture.

It would only be a matter of time before it started to rain and from the sound of things it seemed the time was now.

He knew the cottage was here somewhere, now if he'd only remember where it was. He also prayed that it was empty and really why shouldn't it be?

He found the twins and herded them over to a large boulder with a large overhang that the locals used as a shelter from surprise spring and summer storms such as these. Bastian was lucky to have even remembered and located this. They were in need of good luck and he hoped that more would come his way.

The rain started as soon as the three of them took shelter under the rock. It was about this same time that another couple traveling in the same vicinity would chance upon the same rock as the rain began to fall.

Another storm was brewing, but this time it wouldn't be with wind and rain, but with words, deeds and actions. And it was going to be sooner rather than later.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

"Well," Eugene smiled, "this looks like a great spot for a picnic."

They stopped when they reached a clearing. Rapunzel could see something in the distance. It looked a lot like a large boulder.

"Where are we?" Rapunzel asked, as Eugene reined in Max.

"I can't seem to find the cottage," Eugene said, looking around, a bit confused. He knew that it was here somewhere. Finding the shelter rock was a big plus. It meant that the cottage wasn't all that far away. For now, this would do.

Rapunzel nodded and smiled as he stretched his arms out to catch her as she jumped off Max. "But it does look a bit like rain over there." She pointed to the dark cloud that was forming above their heads.

Eugene smiled. "I'm sure it's just a passing storm, love." He brought out Attila's basket of goodies, a blanket and The Tales of Flynnagan Rider. "I know it looks like rain, beautiful. That's part of the reason we stopped here." He pointed in the direction of the rock.

"Do you see that boulder in the distance? Locals used that for shelter during sudden rainstorms. I've been keeping an eye overhead, Rapunzel. It's not far to that rock and it is true to its name; Shelter Rock. We'll be safe under there."

"Just in case in rains?" Rapunzel asked, inching closer to Eugene.

Eugene smiled and nodded. "Just in case it rains," he repeated. They stared at each other for a moment, not saying a word. The moment was broken however as a flock of birds flew above their heads.

Rapunzel frowned as she looked at them, and then turned her gaze back to her husband. "Why'd you bring the book?"

Eugene shrugged. "It's a great way to kill time. And I know that you like the stories."

Rapunzel shook her head as he reached into the basket and pulled out two ham sandwiches. "These are really good," she smiled as she bit into hers.

It was at that moment that the winds started to pick up, blowing the book out of his hands. A clap of thunder sounded followed by a quick bolt of lightning.

"How far did you say that rock was, Eugene?"

"Good idea, gorgeous. Maybe the storm didn't pass by after all. Come on, we can use the rock until the storm lets up, but when it stops, we have to move again."

Everything was packed in a hurry as the two climbed on Max and made for the shelter rock. The lighting and thunder seemed as if it were right on top of them as they reached the rock. It was a miracle that they reached it just before the rain fell in torrents.

XXXXXX

Ian and the Queen set off in the Royal carriage at dawn the next day. It started off bright and beautiful, but by the end of the day, the winds picked up and the sky darkened. Off in the distance, one could hear a clap of thunder.

A streak of lightning lit up the darkened sky and another rush of wind followed by a clap of thunder. Another strong gust of wind blew down a branch, which almost hit the carriage. Another rush of wind and another branch, struck the side of the carriage, causing the carriage to falter. Another rush of wind and the carriage tipped over with the Queen still inside.

It was Ian who pulled her out before another branch fell on the side of the carriage, reducing it to a bunch of splinters.

"Are you alright, Majesty?" Ian asked as he turned her over to look into her eyes, but the Queen could only whimper and shake her head.

"No," she whispered, as she broke from Ian's arms. "NO," she said, her voice becoming louder. "NO!" she screamed again as she ran over to the ruined carriage.

She had taken off her cloak because it had become warmer and had laid it on the red velvet seat beside her. When the carriage tipped over and the branch landed on top of it, she had no time to think. Ian had pulled her out before it could harm her.

Now she searched all over for the missing cloak, panic setting it when she couldn't find it. She screamed and cried over and over again as Ian took her in his arms and calmed and soothed her. He pulled her closer and held her shaking body before she pushed him away and made a final attempt to reach what was left.

Ian grabbed her from behind as she watched the carriage and whatever was left scatter into the woods with the wind.

"My cloak," Greta cried as she shook her head. She held her arms outward as if she were making a last ditch effort to save what she had lost, but it was gone this time. "My cloak," she cried over and over, "What I need is inside my cloak."

Ian had no idea what to do to calm her. She cried into his chest as the rain started to beat down upon them, but Ian noticed that because the tree cover was so thick, not a drop touched them.

The Queen's sobs lessened and it seemed as if she had cried herself to sleep.

There was no shelter in sight as the rain continued to hit the tops of the trees, so Ian carried her over to a tall pine tree and set her down under it. He sat down beside her and, as night overtook them, an exhausted and puzzled Ian finally fell asleep.

XXXXXXX

Bastian couldn't believe what was coming towards them. A beautiful white horse with two riders galloped closer and closer. He stood up. Almost hitting his head on the overhang and shook his head. He wasn't positive, but he could swear it was a man and woman astride that familiar looking horse. He couldn't place it, but somehow Bastian knew.

He bent to wake the twins, but they were gone. Bastian saw them running into the rain and cold to welcome the white horse and its riders.

He trailed after the brothers, curious to see who the riders were. He had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach as the man jumped from the horse and reached up to help the lady down.

"Thank you so much for your kindness," Eugene said, "we are just two servants lost in the woods this night and in need of shelter and help. Thank you for…"

Eugene stopped in mid sentence as Rapunzel's eyes grew wide with recognition. He lowered her to the ground and then turned around to face the three people who had rescued them.

"Hello, Rider," Bastian whispered as their eyes met. "So you stole our little prize after all. It's not like you not to share, especially after we made our little bargain."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

Rapunzel stared from one to the other, a bit confused.

"Wait a second. You two know each other? Eugene, just what the heck is going on here?"

Bastian shook his head and narrowed his brows. "Eugene?" He smiled. "EUGENE?"

Bastian threw back his head and laughed, he laughed so hard that the twins joined in.

Rapunzel frowned. "AND JUST WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?" She stared at Bastian. "And what kind of a name is Bastian Smyth?" Rapunzel turned her attention to the twins. "And who the heck are these two?"

"Rapunzel," Eugene turned to face her. "It's a long story."

Rapunzel smiled and folded her arms against her chest. "I have nowhere to go, do you?" She shook her head and stared at everyone. She stepped out and extended her hand toward the brother with the sideburns. "Hi, I'm Rapunzel Fitzherbert and you are?"

Before Sideburns could answer, she turned back to Eugene and Bastian. "Don't you think that it's about time we got this all out in the open? I mean what other surprises have you guys cooked up or was all this staged for my benefit?""

Before anyone could a respond, a new voice boomed from the shadows. "No, Rapunzel, no one even knew that I was going to be here, not even me. This was a last minute addition. No one expected me."

Rapunzel eyes narrowed. That voice, where had she heard it before? She was trying very hard to place it.

And out of the darkness strode a tall, slender man with short, thinning dark hair, bright blue eyes and a mustache and short beard. He was wearing a white shirt with dark black trousers and had a coat draped over his right arm.

Rapunzel's eye grew wide and she gasped aloud when she recognized him. She shook her head and stared at him. "No," she whispered, "it can't be. You're dead."

"I don't think so, Rapunzel, I'm very much alive."

"Father, is that you?" Rapunzel whispered staring into his eyes.

"It's me, my daughter." He spread his arms wide and Rapunzel ran into them, forgetting everyone and everything around her.

"We have to keep this quiet," Eugene said, "there are ears out there,"

Bastian frowned and stared at the King. "What are you doing here, Sire? I mean, how did you get here? We were all supposed to…"

"It didn't happen, did it?" Roland said, releasing his daughter, but placing a protective arm around her. "It does seem though that Rider has fulfilled his part of the bargain, but not the way it was originally planned."

"Um, my lord, he is my husband. We have been living together as man and wife for close to five months now. He confessed to me that he couldn't do what he was hired to do and that was to kill me."

The King put his finger to his lips in a plea for silence. He let Rapunzel join Eugene who was still under the rock along with Bastian and the twins. "The trees have ears," he whispered. He looked up into the sky and noticed that the rain wasn't falling anymore. "We need to find a quieter place and plan our next move. But first, I must make sure of a few things."

He turned to Bastian. "What of the elixir and the flower? Were you able to steal it away from my wife as originally planned?" He turned to the Stabbington boys and pointed. "And who the heck are they?"

"Well, sire, it's kind of …." Bastian started, when he saw the King shake his head.

"From now on, Smyth, the name's Cuthbert or Cuth, you got that?" Roland said, looking around the small group. "I want no titles, no references to my first name, is that clear?"

"Cuthbert?" Everyone said the name in unison.

The King nodded and blushed. "It's my middle name. My mother had to carry on some crazy family tradition, but no matter. We have to move on."

He turned back to Bastian. "We also need a quieter place to discuss this. The cottage is well known, we can't go back there. It's the reason I left." He turned to Rapunzel and Eugene. "Your stepmother is on the move and Bastian's traitor cousin is with her. Their carriage just broke down and they're headed for the cottage. It had to be abandoned."

"They're closer than I thought," Eugene said, shaking his head. "I knew that they'd come this way." He looked up at the King. "She interfered with us, Majes…uh, Cuth. She got in our way. She hired me and the twins here to kill Rapunzel. I mean, we just couldn't come right out and say what we were really doing and besides, the twins are well known for their deeds. They agreed to help when I told them of my plan. The Queen showed up two days later as we were just about to move out."

Rapunzel backed away from her husband. "You didn't tell me any of this, Eugene," she said, shaking her head. "What's going on?"

Bastian stared at Rider as well. "Yeah, just what the heck is going on?"

Roland, or rather Cuthbert, smiled and shook his head. "This isn't the place to talk." He turned to Rider.

"Do you know somewhere we can get this all hammered out?"

Eugene nodded. "Follow me. There is shelter two miles from here. We can hold up in the barn while our friends will protect us at the inn. I don't know how long it will take the old lady to get to find us, though. Rapunzel tells me that she's headed in that direction and if she's at the cottage…"

Cuthbert smiled. "I understand, but the longer we stay here the worse it gets."

"What about the rain?" Bastian said, looking upwards.

"It's definitely stopped." Eugene said, "We need to go." He turned toward Bastian. "Take Cuth on your horse. We need to head for the inn. You can follow us."

"There's no need now," a small voice slurred. Shorty and Suede wandered out of the forest with a spare horse in tow. "Follow me, everything is ready. The horse was for Rapunzel, Cuthbert, but now it is yours."

He turned to Eugene. "I told you someone would come for you when it was all over."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

The Queen couldn't believe that she was holed up in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere. They had to take shelter because of this horrible storm that had raged on and off through the night. She looked over at Ian who was lying on the floor, still asleep. She shook her head. What had she gotten involved with?

Ian and Bastian were two of the best Guardsmen in the bunch, and Roland kept them close to him at all times. They were handsome gents and she was able to seduce both of them, separately, one never knowing about the other.

But it was Captain Flynn Rider that she'd wanted from the beginning. Flynn was gorgeous and was wanted by every courtier at the castle. He was a prize, a big prize, but she didn't want him for her collection, no sir. Greta wanted him by her side to rule Corona forever.

But it was not to be. Flynn rejected every one of her advances preferring to be footloose and fancy free. He loved the ladies, just never wanted to make a commitment.

And he would never go against King Roland, not as long as he was alive.

But he hadn't come to her after Roland became ill and Bastian seemed to cool off as well, so she reduced Bastian Smyth to groundskeeper and caretaker while she banished Rider altogether, at least from the castle. Then she raised Ian up to her bodyguard and protector when she got rid of the Guards permanently.

Now Bastian was gone and all that was left was Ian and her bodyguard and protector had disappointed her, big time. He was a lazy, a good for nothing has been that just wasn't worth her time and effort anymore. He wasn't as exciting as he used to be and he just didn't turn her on anymore. In fact, nothing seemed to these days.

All she wanted was that flower and the elixir and right now she had neither. She didn't have her tiny magic mirror; the demise of the carriage took care of that. The weather was preventing her from traveling anywhere and she wasn't even sure if Rapunzel was alive.

She stood up, but it was getting harder and harder to move these days. She wasn't as lively as she used to be and she seemed to be more tired these days. Greta was beginning to think it might be her and not Ian who was at fault here, but she couldn't be sure.

She had no idea what her actual age was, the years just seemed to blend together. She'd stopped counting when the flower came into her possession and along with the mirror, she'd never need to worry about that again. She was assured she was beautiful and young. No one else could replace her. No one.

Until Rapunzel grew up, that is. Now she had to worry about the competition.

She didn't know who robbed her of her flower and elixir, but she knew she'd have to get it back. And soon.

The Queen stood up. She stepped over the sleeping Ian and walked around the small cottage. It was a one room affair with a bed in a corner of the room and a small kitchen area in the other. A fireplace in the center of the room heated the room in the winter and a double door kept the room cool in the summer. A small tin tub was next to the fireplace and some cooking utensils hung from the ceiling. The cottage had everything, even a stream out back to bathe and wash clothes in.

Greta shook her head. It was well stocked for a simple pauper out in the middle of nowhere, but there was nothing fancy, no silver or gold, nothing that would make it seem that any one else of note was hiding out there. No, she decided, it was just a simple cottage in the woods.

What it did lack, however, was a mirror. There was nothing that she could admire herself in.

With one last look at Ian, she opened the wooden door and moved outside. She noticed that there was no barn, only some firewood stocked up in a pile. The cottage itself was not in good shape. It was more like a cabin than a cottage, she decided, having grown up in a small cottage in her native Prussia. Her idea of a cottage was a few rooms and nicer furniture. This just wouldn't do.

There was nothing out here for Gothel's use, nothing at all. Time to wake Ian up and get moving, she decided. The rain had let up and they were wasting time here. She was about to move inside when she saw something lying on the ground, something that she missed the first time. Greta picked it up; it looked like a flask. How she missed it the first time was beyond her. She picked it up and shook it. Apparently, there was liquid in there.

She quickly unscrewed it and sniffed at it, but she smelled nothing. Curious, she raised it to her lips and took a small sip. She smiled as the liquid coursed through her body reviving her. She felt young and alive again.

The elixir, she thought, but how did it get way out here in the middle of the woods? And who the heck was living here or had been?

Greta's smile turned angry and she shook her head. No, it couldn't be the King, not Roland. He was dead; she had poisoned his food, made it look as though as though he had been sick. She buried him, then burnt the ashes. She was there, she watched it all.

Unless….

She shook her head again to rid herself of the memories. No, she decided. He was dead, gone, she wouldn't think about him anymore. She looked back down at her find and took another sip. There was a little bit in there, but she would need it until they found her stepdaughter. It would last for a while. She screwed the cap back on and placed it in the bosom of her dress. She was sure it would hold.

With a last look around, Greta turned and walked back inside the tiny cottage to wake Ian. She'd find her stepdaughter if it was the last thing she would do.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

"So the Thugs tell me that this place is yours, Rider," the King said, staring at Eugene. Shorty had just delivered a round of drinks to the men, compliments he said, of the Flo and Gene Fitzherbert, proprietors.

Eugene nodded. "I happened to fall in love with your daughter, Si..I mean Cuth. With Gothel coming for us, we had to change our names and adopt to a new life in a new place."

Roland shook his head. "It won't matter much, Rider, you and the Thugs don't understand. She's got a magic mirror. By now, she's probably come up with a portable one as well. She knows where Rapunzel is, she can pinpoint her location and direction in a single second. If she's still hanging around with your cousin, Bast, it will make it easier. Smyth is a great tracker, which is why I had him on my team. "

"He's turned traitor, Cuth," Bastian said. "He's fallen for the Queen hook, line and sinker although I do believe it's more a spell she's managed to put on him. She tried that with me, it didn't take or rather I didn't let it." Bastian frowned. "How did you come to marry the woman anyway?"

Roland smiled. "A serious mistake on my part, Bas. You walked away from her, I couldn't and now I'm sorry for it. She tried to kill me; poisoned me, you know. Rider was able to steal some of the elixir from her, brought me to an old cottage in the woods where he watched over me as I recovered. But that stuff is addicting, Bas. The more I drank of it, the more I needed it. I am still weak, but I need to get well on my own."

Bastian looked from the King to Eugene than back again. "So this whole thing started with Rapunzel and the Stabbingtons?"

Eugene nodded. "Cuth wanted his daughter away from Greta, no matter what. The twins were my idea. I'd heard of them, but never met them or seen them for that matter. They took up with me because they wanted to go straight. It was your wife that hired us to kill her. We agreed to it, but I couldn't go through with it. So I went with the original plan instead. I had to keep her away from the brothers here because I thought…"

"He was sure that we would kill the girl," Sideburns said. "But we couldn't do it. We wanted to go straight. And I really didn't want to get mixed up with the likes of of that evil woman anyway."

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore, guys," the King said, "what we need to do now is come up something else. That woman is on her way up her, probably with Ian and the Guards, if she hadn't gotten rid of them already."

Roland turned to Bastian. "Were you able to elixir and the flower?"

Bastian's smile turned into a frown. He shook his head. "We managed to steal it, but we…"

Eugene smiled and shook his head. "Rapunzel found it or should I say, one of the Thugs did. He handed it to your daughter and she hid it right back here."

He rummaged around a few things until he came up with the medium sized oblong wooden box. He slid open the cover and there it was; the tiny bottle of left over elixir. To the right of the bottle lay the magic golden flower. He closed the box and walked back to the circle of men. Eugene sat and handed it out to the King who refused to take it. He shook his head.

"We need to keep that hidden," Roland said. "We can't let Greta get a hold of that flower. It has to be shared with the rest of the kingdom and used for the good of the people, especially to the people who need it. It needs to be controlled so that others can benefit from its power."

The King stared at all the men's faces. "We've got to be prepared. There is a fight coming up and we'll have to stand our ground." He looked at Bastian. "You'll have to face your cousin, Bas. He's under a spell and he won't know anything but defending her. We might also be facing opposition from the Guards as well, at least some of them."

The King looked up at Eugene. "What about Rapunzel? Does she know exactly what's going on?"

"She does now," a woman's voice answered at the door. Rapunzel was bringing the second round of drinks. "So you were right, Eugene. I had a feeling she was lying to me about that elixir being perfume. There never was an odor to the stuff anyway."

Eugene waited until she passed out the drinks before he put his arm around her. "She'll be fine, I know she will. The girl has a head on her shoulders and I think she'll be able to fend for herself. In the meantime, the Thugs will be able to keep her safe."

Rapunzel frowned. "I think I'll be able to take care of myself if and when the Queen shows up. I don't think I'd fall for the poisoned apple trick that the evil stepmother came up with in the Snow White fairy tale." She smiled, looking up at Eugene. "But it would be nice to have a knight in shining armor to kiss me to break the spell and wake me up."

Eugene smiled. "You've got you knight in shining armor right here," he said, pulling Rapunzel toward him. He tightened his grip around her waist. "You're not going anywhere, Flo, not if I can help it."

And the four men watched as Eugene and Rapunzel kissed one another.

"Uh, you two," Bastian said, "watching them. "She'll be here, alright, any day. We've got to be prepared for it. And we've got to prepared for something else. You've got to remain hidden, Cuth. We can't afford slip ups. If the Queen finds you alive…"

Roland smiled and shook his head. "I've taken some steps to make her believe that I'm not. Besides which, we'll find out just how old the Queen is. Without the elixir, she can curl up and die depending on how old she really is."

"I don't think she even knows how old she is," Sideburns agreed. "I guess she'll always be the old lady to me and my brother."

Sideburns watched as they all laughed together, then he turned his attention to his brother who met his eye. He looked at the oblong wooden box across the room and sighed. If they got to that flower and elixir before anyone else did, they could make a mint and no one would know the wiser.

Maybe what the Queen gave them would probably be worth killing all these people who trusted them and believe their story of wanting to go straight. But they'd have to bide their time and strike when they could. It would all straighten itself out when the Queen got here. And she would, Sideburns knew she would.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Bastian was hearing voices, the Queen's voice to be particular. Since he arrived at the Seven Dwarves, her voice was constantly in his ear reminding him of the vow he took and the promise he made to her.

As of this morning, the Queen was leaving him new orders and he wasn't really comfortable with what she was telling him.

_Hold the Princess for me. I should be there today or tomorrow; we're getting close now. Don't give them to those fool twins. I've got a plan to kill her myself._

And he thought he was well rid of her.

Rapunzel would be easy to deal with, Eugene trusted him. Once the Queen arrived with Ian, the three would be able to keep them all at bay, the Thugs included. That witch had magic no one could touch; Greta was unbeatable.

The plan had been simple. Find the Princess and get rid of her, but now a different plan emerged. She obviously knew that Roland was alive or did she. She made no mention of the King. Her plans were now to find the elixir, kill the Princess and Eugene, get rid of the twins, the Thugs and Ian and it would be the two of them ruling Corona forever. He was in love with the entire plan as he was always in love with her. He couldn't escape her, he knew that now. He had fallen in love with her when Roland had first brought her to the castle and had been lovers behind Roland's back. He was part of the plot to kill the King, pretending to be his closest confidant along with Captain Rider. He reported everything back to her and they had worked closely together, the two always confined to a single room at the inn.

It would be so easy, Bastian thought with a smile. Everything would work out. All he had to do was find the elixir, well, he knew exactly where that was; no problem there. Then there was the Princess and he knew where she was as well. Eugene would be a slight problem as would be the Thugs and his cousin, but he figured he'd manage, especially with Ian and the Queen's magic.

But then there was the Queen herself. She'd have to be dealt with next. Bastian figured that he'd bide his time and take her back to the cottage where they could be alone for a few weeks. He'd get her to trust him again and then he'd do what he had to, making it look as if an accident happened. He go back to Corona with the news of how Queen Greta met her demise and surely, surely they'd reward him for a job well done, perhaps even give him the Kingship. He'd have everything he ever wanted.

It had been a good dream, maybe now was the time to put it into use.

Looking around to see if anyone was following him, Bastian headed into the deeper part of the barn behind the door to the closed room where Eugene had hidden the small oblong box. He opened the door and reached out to touch the shelf where the box lay.

The space was empty. There was no box.

With a frown, Bastian decided. Someone had gotten there ahead of him, most likely the twins. They wanted the box too, although he wasn't supposed to know about that. He had heard them talking to one another, but he had put it out of his mind, hoping that they'd gone straight as they had promised.

But Bastian should have known better. He should have realized that they'd go after it before he'd gotten there. Well, he'd track them down and take it from them, no matter what the cost.

He would do anything for his ladylove, anything at all. He never faltered, not once. And this time was no exception.

XXXXXXXX

"It's gone," Sideburns said, staring at his brother. "Some took that elixir before we did."

Eye Patch shrugged. "You think they really believed all that stuff about us going wanting to straight? Anyway, we were all supposed to clean up on that job that the Queen proposed."

Sideburns only laughed. "This would have been so much better. This thing would have set us up for life. This is the answer to everyone's dream."

Eye Patch smiled and nodded his head. "How to stay young, beautiful and healthy for eternity and all you have to do is take a sip."

Sideburns shook his head. "We should have taken it the stuff last night and left. We shouldn't have trusted everyone. " He stared at his brother. "In the meantime, we have our own plan to work out."

Eye Patch nodded. "Well, the Queen did say that we'd be taken care of for the rest of our life."

Sideburns shook his head. "Only if we listened to her and obeyed her every order. We might need her in the beginning, brother, but it won't be too much longer. The kingdom will be all ours."

Eye Patch stared at his brother and smiled. Sideburns couldn't help but smile back.

XXXXXXXX

"We'll take that off your hands right now, Eugene," Dr. Miller said, holding out his hand. "We'll take good care of it."

Eugene stared at the oblong box and sighed. He hated to give it up, but he knew he had to. The Perth Healer's Hospital and Orphanage had very generously given their permission to become caretakers of the box along with an oath to never let it out of their clutches, no matter who asked for it. They also offered to put up the King, Rapunzel and himself for an unlimited amount of time or at least until the Queen and her cohorts passed through. Shorty and Greno set the whole thing up. It had been their idea in the first place. It would be the last place anyone would look, including Bastian and the twins. He couldn't trust Bas any longer, not after Rapunzel told Eugene everything she had heard and seen between him and the Queen. There was no denying it, even though Bastian had tried his hardest.

Eugene sighed and handed it over. He knew they would take great care of it. In the meantime, it would be out of anyone's reach, including him.

"Thanks for all the care you're giving us," Eugene said. "We appreciate what you're doing here."

"My pleasure," Miller said with a grin. "I'm wondering though when you'll be here,"

"We should hopefully arrive sometime in the afternoon," Eugene answered. "The King is one of the most important treasures and he must be treated as such. In the meantime, keep these objects safe."

Miller smiled. "Don't worry, Eugene everything is under control. We will do everything in power to keep your secret."

"I'm counting on that, Dr. Miller," Eugene smiled. "We'll see you tomorrow then."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

Rapunzel couldn't concentrate on her book wondering where Eugene was. He told her he was going into the village and that he'd be right back, but she was still a bit concerned.

Especially after the conversation they had about Bastian.

Rapunzel opened up about everything, how he and Ian had been involved with her stepmother. She told him that the two of them arrived when she did, how she thought they were her brothers. But she soon discovered that it wasn't true. The Queen kept nothing secret, everyone knew she was a flirt and that included Roland.

It was Bastian that was the closest to her though. Ian just seemed to hang around waiting for something, Rapunzel didn't know what. He was never in her room like Bas was, but the two cousins went everywhere together. The two of them were close and laughed and joked often enough, but it was Bastian who ended up in Greta's room when darkness fell.

Rapunzel never knew of Captain Flynn Rider nor ever heard of him thanks to her imprisonment in the tower. She had been kept away from everyday involvement inside and outside the rest of the castle.

The only thing she ever saw was the comings and goings of Bastian Smyth and if she hadn't crept outside her door every once in a while, she'd would still be in the dark. The few days she was allowed out riding had been her only comfort and joy; little did she know that her stepmother was setting her up to be killed.

She looked up from her seat under an apple tree in the garden. The tree was one of many that provided the inn with all kinds of goodies such as apple pies and apple cider. The fruit was really good on its own as well and she enjoyed the taste of them. Rapunzel saw one hanging in front of her and reminded her of how hungry she really was. She reached up for the dangling apple and was about to grasp it and pull it down, but the sound of Attila's voice stopped her.

"Those have been poisoned, Flo," Attila said, reaching up and pulling a few down.

"How could that have happened?

"The entire tree is infected because of the wet winter we had. I didn't really care for it as I should have either. Some of the apples are still edible, others aren't, but I wouldn't touch them myself. "

Rapunzel frowned. "There are others apple trees here, aren't there?"

Attila nodded. "Yes, there is another, but it's further away. I've used most of the apples on that tree already. Most of them come from the village market; but it's only temporary. We should have a whole orchard by next spring."

"Come inside, your father's been asking for you and you shouldn't stay out here alone. When Gene comes back, we'll all hear him."

Rapunzel shook her head. "It won't matter if we hide or not. Stepmother will track me down."

Attila smiled. "We've got a way to distract her, Flo, keep her off guard. Come on, I'll take you in, I've got to get rid of these apples anyway."

Rapunzel shrugged and she finally let Attila lead her to the inn door when they heard horse's hooves coming toward them.

"Max," Rapunzel exclaimed. "Where's your rider? Is Eugene alright?"

Max cocked his head in the direction where he had come. She turned to Attila. "Can you get my father? I have a really bad feeling about all this."

XXXXXXXX

Eugene couldn't believe his luck. Everything was set up exactly how he'd wanted it. All he had to do was to get back to the inn, collect his wife and the King and move into the orphanage for a while. No one would suspect them, most likely Ian and the Queen would be looking for them holed up in an inn, any inn along the road. It had been a good plan.

He was making good time and the road was free and clear of congestion when he noticed a rider in trouble. It looked as if he had been thrown from his horse, the rider was sprawled all over the road. He wasn't expecting to make a stop, but he felt this case was different. Maybe he could give the rider aid. He jumped off Max, tied him to a tree and walked over to see if he could help the injured rider who was lying face down in the road.

Eugene bent down. "Are you alright?" he asked. When no answer came, Eugene shook his head and turned him over. The face that greeted him surprised him at first, but he knew he should have expected it.

"Never been better, Rider, my boy," Bastian said, as he smiled and picked himself up. He pulled his sword from his side. "Where is it, Rider? Where's the elixir and the flower? I know you've got it and I want it now."

Eugene stared at him and smiled. "I should have know, Bas. I should have known you were always working with her. The three of you arrived at the castle together, didn't you?"

He had nothing to defend himself with, save a small knife hidden inside his boot. He had to carry something, but would it hold up to Bastian's sword.

Bastian smiled back. "You always were one to trust the wrong kind of people, weren't you?" He picked up the sword and stuck it in Eugene's face.

"Practicing again, Bas?" Eugene asked. "You know I have nothing to defend myself with?"

Bas shook his head. "Don't lie to me, Rider. I know you've got that knife, you never go anywhere without it?"

"Alright," Eugene said, bending down to pull it out. "You're right, I've got it, but you know I've always gotten the better of you, remember?"

"Not this time, Rider," Bas said, "I've been practicing. Now hand it over."

Eugene smiled. "I hope you believe me when I tell you that I don't have it anymore. It was lost on the road. I came back to look for it. Someone probably had it by now, Bas."

Bastian frowned. "I don't believe you, Rider. I never believed a word you've ever said. Now where the heck is it?"

Eugene shook his head. "I don't have it, Bas," he said again. "I don't have it and I haven't got the slightest idea where it might have disappeared to."

He wasn't lying. Who knows where Dr. Miller had hidden it? He surely had no clue.

"Do you need it, Bas? That stuff can be addicting, that and the flower. I can see how. Makes you young and strong and keeps you that way forever?" Eugene circled him, his smaller knife out now; challenging Bastian's larger sword. "How old are you really, Bas; you and that cousin of yours? Maybe I should include your lover as well. We've all heard those rumors that she's centuries old? Does that include you and your cousin as well?"

Bastian was furious. He lunged toward Eugene who moved out of the way. Bas tried again, but Eugene was able to block with his knife. They moved this way and that until Eugene managed to knock the sword out of Bastian's hand. Eugene held out the knife, but Bas grabbed it, cutting his hand in the process, the knife dropping to the ground. Eugene bent down for it, but Bas kicked him the groin forcing Eugene to double over and fall.

Bas smiled and bent down to retrieve the knife while Eugene writhed on the ground.

"I move well for a man who's 400 years old, don't I, Rider?" Bas said, picking up the knife. "And now that you know the truth, I can't leave you alive, now can I?"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21

Greta Gothel was not used to being alone; she always had someone watching her back, whether it was the King, the Guards, Ian or Bastian. The Queen shook her head. Right now, she'd even settle for either Roland or her stepdaughter, that's how desperate she was for company.

It was her fault too, she knew it. She kept the remaining elixir all for herself, even though she knew that Ian needed it as well. Bastian and Ian never carried any around; she always supplied the liquid to them. It was the half the reason that they began to brew up the elixir in the first place.

The real reason was that she didn't want to share the flower's incantation with anyone else. She kept the boys on a need to know basis and the cousin's didn't need to know. Why, they never needed to know. This was something that she wanted to keep to herself. If they knew everything, they'd want the flower for themselves and she wasn't sharing that, especially that.

So she started brewing the elixir and hid it from everyone. It was only to be used when needed.

She couldn't trust anyone, never did. This was the reason that Bastian and Ian went everywhere with her. And the less the King knew, the happier she was. The more he tried to get her to become familiar with the castle and its staff, the more she stayed away.

Despite her husband's insistence, Gothel refused to meet with Captain Flynn Rider. She'd never seen his face or wanted him near her. She'd heard he was gorgeous and sent her ladies down with invitations to come to her quarters. He never responded, never showed up. She forbade this Rider person to be anywhere near the castle period. The Queen was so overjoyed when she heard that Roland removed Rider from the castle and had him installed in the King's private quarters as his own personal bodyguard, keeping him away from the rest of the guards. He gave her Ian and Bastian to do she liked with them and kept Flynn Rider or whoever he was to himself.

The situation worked out perfectly, she kept to herself and he kept his own council. Everything was good.

Besides, Bastian was her lover, had been for the longest time anyway. Ian was just a double, they looked alike. It fooled the King. He had never even known she had been cheating on him with Bas. Ian was always there to cover for her. Roland never knew there were two Guards, just one. It worked and she was proud of herself.

So now everyone was gone. Bastian had gone off with the twins and she had no idea where they were or what happened to them. They should have been back by now; her stepdaughter should have been dead as well as the Stabbington boys.

She still wasn't sure what do with Bas though. He'd been by her side for years; actually centuries was more like it. She'd have to keep him alive as well and she wasn't sure she wanted to share the flower and the elixir with anyone.

Greta would have to think about it.

Right now, she was hungry and tired. She hadn't even realized that Ian had materialized into a pile of dust. The only thing on her mind right now was her stepdaughter and the twins, but the elixir and flower were first and foremost. If she secured that, she'd worry about the other stuff later.

The Queen was close to her stepdaughter now, there wasn't too much to go. The Seven Dwarves was so close now, she could see its thatched roof in the distance. She guessed it was about 15 minutes away and it was a good thing. She needed food, drink and a bed above all. Then she'd start snooping around for the stuff she needed. She still had the elixir; the flask was right in her…

Greta felt around for the flask, and then panicked when she couldn't find it. Hadn't she placed inside her bodice where it could be easily reached? She was sure she hadn't left it back at the cottage or was she sure? No, it couldn't be gone, she couldn't have lost it. There was no way….

Well, Gothel couldn't go back to look for it now. It was gone, that's it. Been there, done that. Now she had to keep moving and placed her faith and trust in the fact that she'd get back her two most cherished possessions in the entire universe.

But right now she concentrated on her hunger. With no cloak to keep her warm, she was getting cold. The inn would give her a room where she could sleep, have a bite to eat and change her plans.

Greta would deal with what she had to in the morning. She would find Bas and the twins at the appointed place with her stepdaughter and everything would perfect. He would present her with the elixir and the flower, then they'd take care of the twins and move onward.

Her role as Queen would be untouched and she'd rule forever with no heirs or relatives in the way. She could count on Bastian; she had relied on him for over 400 years. He had never questioned her judgment and done whatever she had asked of him.

And of course this time he wouldn't let her down. Bastian knew what would happen if he ever had. She'd made it clear that there were to be no slip ups.

The inn was minutes away now, but she found she had to stop to catch her breath. She sat down underneath a tree and found herself staring at an apple dangling from a low branch. She grabbed at it and stared it, turning it around and around it her hands.

The apple was perfect. It would hold her hunger off for a while and she might even come back for more once she was settled inside.

Greta smiled to herself as she peered at the apple. Everything was going according to plan.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22

"I've got to stop her," Attila said, halfway in and out of the inn's door, but Roland stopped him. "You'll do no such thing. I'll stop her myself," he said, staring into his daughter's eyes.

"I need someone to get Rapunzel out to save Eugene," Roland continued, still looking at his daughter. "I need you guys to keep her hidden from the Queen while I keep her occupied."

"You might not have to," Attila said, watching Greta gobble up the apple. "She's almost done. The poison should take hold in less than 10 minutes."

Roland smiled up at Attila. "If we're lucky," he said.

Attila smiled back and nodded, and then went to do the King's bidding. Within minutes, he was back with Shorty, the Pirate Thug and Vlad.

"Be careful," Roland said, giving his daughter a peck on the cheek as he walked through the door, alone as planned.

All five watched him walk toward the Queen, until Attila frowned at them.

"We all made a vow to take part in this thing," Attila said, "We have a King and Princess to protect and the King's trusted bodyguard to save and we have to do it quickly. So let's get a move on, guys. Time is growing short with each minute that our Gene isn't here with us. There's work to be done here and it won't get done with us looking at the window like this. I'll take care at this end. Get going, all of you."

"I think you managed to forget about the two of us," a voice piped up from behind causing everyone to turn around. The Stabbington brothers were standing there grinning, Sideburns holding out a large kitchen knife.

"We want the magic elixir if you don't mind and if this is the way to get it, why, we'll be glad to tag along to get it.

"Or else we'll warn the Queen what's really going on back here," Eye Patch said, smiling.

"Let's go," Rapunzel said, eyeing the twins. "We have to hurry."

XXXXXX

Hello, Greta," Roland called out as he walked toward the Queen. "We meet again after all these years."

Greta recognized the voice. She dropped the core of the apple and looked up in shock and surprise. The Queen smiled sweetly and stood, or at least tried to. Her legs were unsteady and her head was swimming. She brushed it off.

"Roland, I thought you were dead. How nice it is to see you again."

She smiled and crept closer drawing her dagger from inside her boot. "I tried once, but I see it didn't work. Well, I guess I'm just going to have to finish it now." She held it up, ready to strike, but Roland grabbed her arm to prevent her from slashing through his clothes. He squeezed it so tightly that the knife clattered to the ground. Greta didn't have enough strength to reach for it.

"I don't think you can finish it, Greta. I don't think you could kill me if you tried. And yes, I would have been dead if I hadn't figured out what you were up to. Thank the Lord I found out at the last second."

Greta frowned. Her head was swimming, but she managed to shake herself awake. "Where is it, Roland? I know you have it."

Roland smiled. "What are you talking about, Greta?"

"You know darn well what I'm talking about, the elixir and the flower. Where are they?" She tried again to stand, but she couldn't. Right now, all she wanted to do was to lie down and sleep.

"Oh, you mean this?" the King said, producing the oblong black box from his coat. "Or maybe you want this?" He held out an apple in his left hand, dropping both the box and apple to the ground.

The Queen's eye's opened wide or as wide as she could get them to open. She reached out for the box, but it wasn't within her reach. With a last ditch effort, she forced herself to stand. She managed to walk toward the box, but collapsed to the ground. Her hand found the apple though, but as much as she tried, Greta couldn't grasp it.

"Help me," she squeaked out. "At least, let me have the apple. You see how hungry I am."

"I wouldn't eat those if I were you," Roland said, as he bent down to retrieve both the box and the apple.

She picked her head up and stared into his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"They're poisoned, Your Majesty," Attila said, grabbing it out of Roland's hands, "including the one you've eaten."

Greta could do nothing more than let out a groan. Her head sank to the ground. "I don't believe you. The only poisoned apples that I know of are in fairy tales." she breathed struggling on the ground, still reaching out for the box. She inched closer and closer until she stopped completely, arm still outstretched reaching for something that she'd never need again.

Roland held a hand to Greta's mouth to check her breathing. He looked up at Attila who shook his head. "There wasn't enough poison in there to kill the Queen, unless…"

"The apple was meant for Rapunzel," the Queen whispered, faintly. "This was a special apple designed just for her." She coughed. "Bastian brought them here and deposited some of them on the ground. You see, I only wanted to…" she stopped mid sentence as the poison took hold. Greta Gothel's hair began to turn white, her smooth skin turned rough and wrinkled as she began to wither away. Gathering the last of her strength, she started moving toward the box, but Greta didn't have any more to spare. With one last push, she reached out her left hand and managed to touch the box she'd wanted for so long.

But it wasn't to be. The hand disappeared first, then her arm, her body and legs until her head was left. She screamed as the rest of her disappeared and all that was left was a pile of dust amid the clothes. Roland and Attila stared at what as left of the Queen.

"What do we do now?" Attila said staring at the dust and turned to the King. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Nor will you see it again, my good friend," Roland said, shaking his head. "She hadn't the slightest idea how old she was and to tell you the truth, neither did I. By the time I realized it, it was too late." He stood up and turned to Attila. "She tried to poison me, you know. Little bits in my drink every day until Rider noticed I was getting sick. When she sent him away, I went with him. I always knew about her and Bas, but I never knew how much she wanted me out of the way."

Roland faltered. Now it was his turn to feel dizzy. He looked down at where Greta tried to slash him and realized that she had stuck him with the knife. The bloom on his shirt was getting bigger.

"Help me inside, Attila. Don't ask questions, just listen to me and I'll tell you what to do."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23

Rapunzel heard Eugene's struggle before she saw it. Her father had been right; it wasn't all that far off. All Max had to do was lead them to the spot. He stepped aside and waited for Rapunzel. The three thugs waited and watched silently in the woods while the Princess and the twins crept up on Bas and Eugene.

XXXXX

"Where is it?" Bas said, "Where the heck have you hidden it?"

Eugene shook his head. Bas had him still pinned to the ground, threatening to kill him with his own knife. Eugene shook his head. How the heck did this happen? He should have been dead already.

Bastian couldn't kill him. He was after the box like all the rest of them. There was no way that any of them would ever guess where it was because there was more than one. The King had several made; last count he made was four. There was an empty that Roland always carried around with him; the rest were stored in a hidden storeroom that only Eugene and the King were privy to.

But apparently, that was not the case because Gothel managed to get her hands on one of them and that one was in….

"Don't shake your head at me?" Bastian frowned. "You know that I can do it, you know that I…"

Bastian's eyes opened wide just then and the knife clattered to the ground, inches away from Eugene's forehead. He gurgled a bit, as if he had something in his mouth, then swayed and fell on top of Eugene. He tried to shove the much heavier man off, but he didn't really have to as a lifeless Bastian faded away into nothing but dust.

Eugene grabbed his knife and sat up looking expecting something else to attack him, but all he heard was whimpering. He looked toward the sound and found a shivering Rapunzel all alone with a knife in her hand. She was staring down at what was left of her stepmother's lover.

She looked up when she saw him approach. "It's all over, Rapunzel," he said, enveloping her in a giant bear hug. It felt so right being here with her, now of all places.

"I've never killed a man before," Rapunzel sobbed into his chest, pulling him closer.

"You can't kill a 400 year old man, Rapunzel. He would have faded away anyway without the elixir." Eugene closed his eyes and smiled, getting lost in her smell of forest pine and earth. It was a mistake, a big mistake.

The only time he opened up his eyes again was when Rapunzel was ripped from his arms.

"Alright Rider, fun time is over. Where is it?"

Eugene shook his head. It was the twins now. He reached in his pocket for the black box and threw it out to them. Eye Patch picked it up and smiled and Sideburns let Rapunzel go. She ran into Eugene's arms.

"It can't be easy as all that," Sideburns reasoned.

"Slide the box open, if you don't believe me," Eugene bluffed as he released Rapunzel. He wanted to hold his wife so much, but he didn't want her getting hurt.

Eye Patch shook it. Something was in it, alright. He looked at Sideburns who grabbed it and slid it open part way. Sure enough, a small bottle lay inside with some kind of liquid inside.

Rapunzel stared at the twins then at Eugene. She was dumbfounded. Eugene told her that he dropped the box off in Perth this morning. What the heck was this?

"Eugene?" she frowned as she walked toward him.

"We need her too," Sideburns said, closing the lid. "The Queen demanded that we kill her."

Eugene shook his head. "She's all yours, fellas. Go ahead. But you'll have to go over my dead body to get to her."

"Well," Eye Patch said, "that could be arranged." He punched a shocked Eugene in the face knocking him out; his head hitting a nearby rock.

"Eugene," Rapunzel said, her voice full of concern.

"Come on, Princess. You belong to us now." Sideburns smiled as he grabbed for her. She struggled to get out of his grasp, hitting Sideburns in the eye. Sideburns let out a yell, but it wasn't enough to release her.

"I'll take care of her, brother," Eye Patch said, knocking her unconscious with a knock on the head.

"Never hit a lady, One Eye," a deep voice called out behind them. The Pirate Thug caught Rapunzel while Vlad let the twins have it.

"They'll have to go over all our dead bodies as well, Princess." Vlad said, coming into the clearing with the Pirate Thug. "Leave the twins here. Someone will find them. Meanwhile, we've got to get these two back to the inn. They'll need a doctor."

"The box?" the Pirate Thug said, staring at it on the ground.

Vlad waved it away. "Leave it, we don't have time. What's more important now is getting these guys home. Shorty and Max are waiting."

XXXXX

Rapunzel had gotten up faster than anyone thought. She was a quick healer and feisty, although Shorty told her not to move too much. She didn't care. Her father and her husband both needed to be cared for.

Lena had filled her in on what had happened and there was much could have done at this point. Roland was asleep and was under her constant care. Lena had already been trained as a healer and took over quickly and painlessly. It was Eugene that needed her presence and so she rushed off to their room.

It had seemed that Eugene got more than just a conk on the head. Vlad discovered a nasty slash to Eugene's chest from Bastian's knife. Shorty and Lena both managed to finally stop the bleeding with the Pirate Thug's help. He had been a healer on the famous pirate ship, The Jolly Roger, serving with Captain Hook and his first mate, Smee, until they disappeared one night when he and a few of his assistants were searching out plants and herbs for potions. They were never heard from again, but the Pirate Thug had often heard stories of a place beyond the stars called Neverland.

"Eugene?" Rapunzel called softly as she opened the door, but no answer came. He had been out for a while now, she wasn't counting. All she knew is that it was dark and when they had been brought home, it had been light, well dusk really.

She crept closer and sat down in the chair next to his bedside. She couldn't keep her eyes off of his beautiful, chiseled looks, his dark hair lying over his closed eyes. She brushed them back and then leaned over to kiss his cool lips.

After a few seconds she broke away, still stroking his cheek and hair. Rapunzel tasted a salty wetness on her lips and realized she was crying. She began to wonder if he'd ever wake up. It was then that she heard a faint sound coming from his lips, why it almost sounded like her name.

"Rapunzel?"

"Eugene?" she whispered.


End file.
